Promoting Ayurveda in India and the World
Ayurveda is a science of life that is over 5,000 years old. It has roots tracing back to the Rigveda. The word Ayurveda is derived from Ayu (life) and Veda (science), with its foundational goal -“Swasthasya Swasthya rakshnam, aturasya vikara prashaman”-being to maintain wellness in the healthy and cure illness in the sick.
Ayurveda’s journey from an inherited knowledge tradition to an increasingly institutionalised component of contemporary healthcare reflects its evolving relevance in modern society. The expansion of healthcare infrastructure, education, research, regulatory mechanisms, digital access, and international collaborations has created a broader ecosystem for its development and responsible integration. The growing emphasis on scientific validation, quality standards, and evidence-based research is particularly significant in strengthening its contemporary relevance
On September 23, 2026, India celebrated its 11th Ayurveda Day. Observed under the timely theme “Ayurveda for a Healthier Tomorrow,” this milestone highlighted a profound structural shift: Ayurveda has transitioned from an ancient custom into a modern, evidence-based global wellness system. Since assuming office in 2014, the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has prioritized reviving India’s traditional knowledge systems.
By embedding Ayurveda into institutional frameworks, backing it with cutting-edge scientific research, and advancing a robust diplomatic strategy, the administration has successfully integrated this “science of life” into modern mainstream medicine both at home and abroad.
Institutionalisation and Infrastructure Within India
The foundational cornerstone of the government’s strategy was the creation of a dedicated Ministry of Ayush in late 2014, separating traditional medicine from the vast bureaucracy of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This institutional push was backed by major financial investments, culminating in an allocation of Rs. 4,408 crores for the Ministry of Ayush in the Union Budget 2026–27.
On the ground, the National Ayush Mission (NAM) has seamlessly integrated Ayurveda into grassroots public health. The government has set up over 12,000 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs across the country to provide holistic, preventive healthcare alongside conventional medicine. This co-location strategy allows citizens to access Ayurvedic treatments right next to regular medical clinics, heavily driving down the national burden of chronic, lifestyle-related, and non-communicable diseases.
Furthermore, by establishing premier bodies like the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) in New Delhi — modeled on the lines of AIIMS — and enforcing universal insurance empanelment across 32 general insurers, the administration has made traditional care highly accessible and socio-economically viable.
Elevating Tradition into Rigorous Science
For decades, traditional medicine suffered from a lack of rigorous, scientific validation. The Modi administration addressed this vulnerability directly by connecting historical knowledge with modern innovation. During the recent 11th Ayurveda Day celebrations, the government launched comprehensive safety dossiers on medicinal plants, unified standard treatment guidelines for common chronic illnesses, and introduced the Ayush Vision 2030 framework.
Through the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), India now anchors thousands of active scientific studies. The Ayush Research Portal now hosts over 43,000 research publications, allowing global researchers to evaluate clinical trials and pharmacological data transparently. Academic synergy has been further bolstered by the creation of specialized Centers of Excellence at premier institutions like the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, accelerating deep-tech startups and biochemical research in traditional medicine.
Charting Global Leadership and Diplomacy
Beyond India’s borders, the government has anchored Ayurveda as a core tenet of its soft power diplomacy under the global philosophy of “One Earth, One Health”. A historic triumph in this journey was the establishment of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat. This center marks the first and only global outpost by the World Health Organisation dedicated solely to traditional wellness practices, solidifying India’s position as a global leader in holistic health.
India’s relentless diplomatic efforts led to the formal inclusion of Ayurvedic diagnostic terminology into the WHO’s ICD-11 (International Classification of Diseases) framework. This inclusion allows doctors worldwide to record Ayurvedic diagnoses uniformly, a critical prerequisite for international health insurance coverage.
To date, the Ministry of Ayush has signed 27 country-to-country Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and activated 46 dedicated Ayush Information Cells globally, promoting standardized practice across more than 150 countries.
Conclusion
The current administration’s transformation of Ayurveda represents a masterful bridge between India’s historic legacy and its future potential. By standardising practices, backing them with empirical data, and promoting them globally, the government has moved Ayurveda from backyard herbal gardens to the global healthcare stage.
As the 11th Ayurveda Day demonstrated through the participation of millions of citizens and dozens of international embassies, Ayurveda is no longer viewed as a passive alternative; it is rapidly becoming an active partner in defining global well-being and a healthier tomorrow.
