Centre sanctioned Rs 279 crore for AYUSH in Jharkhand; infrastructure under scanner

Ranchi: The Jharkhand government has only one government-run yoga centre and one government Unani medical college and hospital, despite receiving nearly Rs 279 crore in central assistance over the past 11 years to strengthen traditional systems of medicine, raising questions about the pace of infrastructure development in the state.

According to a written reply tabled recently by the Ministry of AYUSH in the Lok Sabha, Rs 278.84 crore was sanctioned to Jharkhand under the National AYUSH Mission (NAM) between 2014-15 and 2024-25.

Also Read:India has 47 Govt Mental Hospitals, including 3 Central Institutions: Health Ministry

The National AYUSH Mission provides financial assistance to states for establishing Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, integrating AYUSH services at Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs) and district hospitals, and upgrading government AYUSH hospitals and dispensaries. The scheme also supports integrated AYUSH hospitals, essential medicines, educational institutions and various public health programmes.

However, information furnished by the Jharkhand government to the Centre indicates that the state currently has only two government-run institutions in these disciplines—a State Yoga Centre located on East Jail Road in Ranchi and the State Unani Medical College and Hospital in Giridih.

The parliamentary reply does not mention any additional govt yoga, naturopathy or Unani institution established in Jharkhand during the period, highlighting the gap between sanctioned assistance and visible infrastructure, reports TOI.

The issue was raised in Parliament by Rajmahal MP Vijay Hansdak, who noted that a large section of Jharkhand's population, particularly in rural and tribal areas, continues to depend on traditional systems of medicine for healthcare.

While the Ministry outlined several interventions supported under the National AYUSH Mission and highlighted nationwide awareness initiatives, it did not provide district-wise details on the utilisation of funds in Jharkhand. The reply also lacked information on the number of healthcare facilities created, AYUSH practitioners deployed and beneficiaries covered under the scheme.

Experts noted that the absence of such data makes it difficult to assess how effectively the central assistance has been utilised and what impact it has had on improving access to traditional healthcare services in the state.

Also Read:Ayush Ministry partners with WHO to promote traditional medicine