Why has AYUSH got a major push in Budget?, Pg13

Key Highlights:

• The 2026-27 Union Budget proposed ₹4,408 crore for AYUSH, a significant increase from previous years.
• Three new All-India Institutes of Ayurveda will be established to promote traditional medicine.
• The National AYUSH Mission budget increased by 66% to ₹1,300 crore for modernization.
• The India-EU FTA facilitates market access for Indian doctors and products in Europe.
• Bharat-VISTAAR, a multilingual AI assistant, will aid farmers in cultivating medicinal plants.

Detailed Insights:

• The increased budget aims to modernize AYUSH hospitals and dispensaries, integrate AYUSH clinics into modern hospitals, and upgrade existing centers for preventive healthcare.
• The India-EU FTA allows Indian AYUSH practitioners to offer services in EU countries without specific traditional medicine regulations and enables Indian companies to establish wellness centers.
• The Traditional Knowledge Digital Library is recognized under the FTA, preventing the misappropriation of traditional Indian remedies.
• The government supports the AYUSH Ministry to integrate traditional medicine into the national healthcare system through the National AYUSH Mission and co-location policies.
• Critics, like the IMA, raise concerns about the lack of empirical evidence for AYUSH treatments and the blurring lines between traditional and modern medical practices ("mixopathy").

Key Concepts Involved:

• AYUSH: A collection of traditional and non-conventional medical systems practiced in India, including Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy.
• National AYUSH Mission: A government initiative to promote and develop AYUSH systems through improved access to services, education, and research.
• Mixopathy: The controversial practice of allowing practitioners of traditional medicine to be trained in and perform surgical procedures of modern medicine.