Ayurveda's spread had stopped due to foreign invaders: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat
Nagpur (PTI): Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday said the spread of Ayurveda had stopped because of invasion by foreigners earlier, but now this ancient system of medicine is getting recognition again.
He also said steps need to be taken so that Ayurveda gets global recognition.
Bhagwat was speaking at 'Ayurveda Parv', an international conference organised here by the Ministry of Ayush. Ayush stands for Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy.
Union Ayush Minister Sarbanand Sonowal and Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant were present on the occasion.
"Spread of Ayurveda among people had stopped due to invasion by foreigners. But Ayurveda is again getting recognition and it is time to expand the knowledge related to Ayurveda," Bhagwat said.
"So how should we take Ayurveda forward? The way is that everyone should get affordable and simple medical treatment, and for this, there is no better option than Ayurveda," he added.
Ayurveda in its purest form should be practised, so that it gets international recognition, Bhagwat said.
Speaking on the occasion, Sonowal said that since the last seven years, Ayurveda has been getting international recognition.
He praised Prime minister Narendra Modi for boosting Ayurveda by forming as separate Ayush ministry, and said this system of medicine was earlier neglected.
"Until 2014, the market size of the Ayush industry was only USD 3 billion. But in the past eight years, it has grown to USD 18.1 billion globally and will further rise to USD 23 billion by 2023," the Union minister added.
Sawant said Ayurveda is seeing 'achhe din' under the leadership of PM Modi.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
