Guwahati: The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal has assured complete support for an investment of about ₹200 crore to build capacity around the medicinal plant sector of the region.
Sonowal, who visited CSIR-North East Institute of Science & Technology (CSIR-NEIST) yesterday at Jorhat, said the rich bounty of nature must be used responsibly so that the ecology of the region is sustained while extracting medicinal benefits from the herbs responsibly to amp up India’s rich heritage in traditional medicine.
“Under the inspiring leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has once again discovered its glory with its rich heritage of traditional medicine, which was once lost due to ignorance and arrogance of Congress governments in the past. Our rich heritage of traditional medicine, be it Ayurveda, Siddha, Yoga, Unani, Naturopathy, Sowa Rigpa or Homoeopathy, has proven its efficacy for generations after generations and has withstood all the challenges that time posed against it,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal said Mother Nature has blessed this beautiful region of the Northeast with rich flora and fauna.
“Under Modi, we are revitalising traditional medicine with a rational approach to scientifically validate its outcome so that more and more people can avail its life enriching benefit. As India leads the resurgence of traditional medicine globally, the Northeast, with its rich resource of medicinal plants and herbs, will play a crucial role to act as a harbinger of growth for the healing industry of India,” he said.
During this visit, the Minister reviewed the progress of different activities undertaken by the institute to strengthen the huge potential of the medicinal plant market in the region. Of the proposed investment for capacity building at CSIR-NEIST, multiple cold storage will be set up for the storage of herbal plants for commercial usage.
An approximate investment of ₹100 crore is set to develop these specialised cold storages for Medicinal Herbal plants. A Centre with scientifically validated outcomes, for the treatment of ailments, and a hospital for traditional folk healers is also proposed. The cost for the development of this hospital is pegged at ₹50 crore.
Speaking further, the Union Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal said the CSIR-NEIST have been doing some important work in the research of medicinal plants of the region.
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“Given the immense potential of the region, as a hotspot of medicinal plants, we are considering setting up cold storages so that the commercial viability of medicinal herbs and plants can be explored and enhanced. To further the application of the essence of the medicinal plants found in the region, a centre of excellence is also being considered to be set up in the region. Our rich wisdom in traditional and folk medicine needs careful exploration as well as validation through a scientific approach. A hospital for folk and traditional healers is being considered so that our age-old treatments get scientifically recorded and accorded treatment to the needy in a scientifically valid environment to enrich their quality of life,” he said.
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