New Delhi: The Union Cabinet has given its nod for launching of the National AYUSH Mission (NAM) with its core and flexible components.
The decision was taken at the Cabinet meet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.
The proposed mission will address the gaps in health services through supporting the efforts of state and Union Territories governments for providing AYUSH health services/education in the country, particularly in vulnerable and far-flung areas.
Under NAM special focus will be given for specific needs of such areas and for allocation of higher resources in their Annual Plans.
The mission will help in the improvement of AYUSH education through enhancement in the number of upgraded educational institutions, better access to AYUSH services through increase in number of AYUSH hospitals and dispensaries, availability of drugs and manpower.
It will also be providing sustained availability of quality raw material for AYUSH systems of medicine.
Besides all, the mission will boost improving availability of quality Ayurvedic, Siddha, Unani and Homeopathy (ASU&H) drugs through increase in number of pharmacies, drug laboratories and improved enforcement mechanism of ASU&H drugs.
The Department of Indian Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy was created in March 1995 and renamed AYUSH in November 2003 to provide focussed attention to the development of education and research in these systems of medicine.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in its election manifesto, had promised to increase public investment to promote AYUSH and start integrated courses for Indian system of medicines and modern science.
