Centre Unveils Roadmap to Globalise Ayurveda
The move comes as other nations, notably China, expand their traditional medicine outreach, adding urgency to India’s efforts
HYDERABAD: The Centre has signalled plans to globalise Ayurveda, positioning the traditional system as a credible, evidence‑backed wellness and healthcare option in international markets. The move comes as other nations, notably China, expand their traditional medicine outreach, adding urgency to India’s efforts.
NITI Aayog has released a document outlining short, medium and long‑term goals up to 2047, focusing on integrating Ayurveda into health systems, providing insurance coverage, setting up international centres of excellence and creating global quality frameworks.
By 2047, the roadmap envisages Ayurveda recognised in at least 20 national health systems and covered under insurance in at least 10 countries for selected conditions such as chronic back pain, osteoarthritis, sleep disorders, stress management and metabolic syndrome.
“With standard protocols and robust outcome data, Ayurveda can securely complement conventional care for lifestyle disorders. Evidence is the key that will unlock insurance and hospital channels abroad,” said Dr Anupama Rao, Ayurvedic practitioner and public health researcher. She added that Telangana’s biodiversity and cultivation potential for medicinal plants give the state a competitive edge in supplying high‑quality inputs for exports and research.
The medicinal and aromatic plants research station at Rajendranagar, along with nurseries developed by the National Medicinal Plants Board and regional hubs including the Herbal Garden at Himayatsagar, Dulapally and Mallyala, and the Telangana Medicinal Plants Board’s Biosynmedica centre featuring over 1,200 species, can play a major role in global outreach, an AYUSH official said.
Demand for Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) seats in Telangana has risen modestly over five years, with higher application ratios from semi‑urban and rural areas. Authorities expect further growth with increased research funding and internationalisation.
Recommendations include expanding Ayurveda’s presence in WHO regional offices, engaging WIPO to protect traditional knowledge, securing GI tags, strengthening WHO‑GMP compliance among exporters, and using embassies and diaspora networks to promote Ayurveda.
Current export estimates for Ayurveda and herbal products range between $1.2 billion and $1.5 billion annually. The Niti Aayog document stresses the need for better export data harmonisation and product classification to raise market access in the EU, GCC and ASEAN markets.
Government support for AYUSH research has grown, with expanded grants for clinical trials, new centres of excellence and digitisation of classical texts. The strategy urges a stronger evidence pipeline through randomised trials, observational cohorts and real‑world data registries, and recommends publishing an annual Ayurveda Global Evidence Report to build credibility.
The roadmap aims to standardise clinical evidence, boost exports, create jobs across cultivation, research and wellness tourism, and ensure equitable benefit‑sharing for communities that conserve medicinal biodiversity.
