Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Global Ayush Investment and Innovation Summit at Gandhinagar on Wednesday and stated that India is going to introduce a special Ayush visa category for foreign nationals who want to come to the country for Ayush therapy.

WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth were present on the occasion.

In his address, PM Modi said that the possibilities of investment and innovation in the field of Ayush are limitless. "We are already witnessing an unprecedented boom in the production of Ayush medicines, supplements and cosmetics. In 2014, the Ayush sector was less than $3 billion, today it has increased to more than $18 billion," he added.

"We are going to make a special Ayush hallmark. This hallmark will be applied to the highest quality Ayush products made in India," PM Modi explained.

The Prime Minister said the government will develop a network of Ayush parks to encourage the promotion, research and manufacturing of Ayush products across the country.

Besides, a new category named 'Ayush Aahar' will be introduced which will greatly facilitate the producers of herbal nutritional supplements.

The PM said that it is very important that the farmers involved in growing medicinal plants should get the facility to easily connect with the market. For this, the government is also working on modernisation and expansion of the Ayush e-marketplace, he informed.

"So far, this year, 14 startups have joined the unicorn club. I am confident that unicorns will soon emerge among the Ayush ecosystem" said PM.

WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus said, “We are exploring innovative study designs and the use of artificial intelligence to document the impact of traditional medicine practices, in cases when standard randomized trials are not possible or are difficult to undertake. Strengthening the evidence base of traditional medicine should facilitate its use by communities, to promote better health outcomes, economic benefits and overall impact,” he added.

Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said that it is a matter of pride for him to participate in the Ayush Investment and Innovation Summit. "According to WHO, 80 per cent of people in the world use traditional medicine. The knowledge of this medicine should not only be respected but should also be protected and promoted," he added.

The three-day Ayush global summit will witness a dialogue with entrepreneurs, industry, startups and other stakeholders to encourage them to increase investment for innovation in Ayush as the sector has a huge potential for growth.

PM Modi also announced the launch of Ayush Export Promotion Council and four Ayush ICT initiatives which includes Ayush Information Hub, AyuSoft, Ayush Next and Ayush GIS. Prime Minister also released   a comic book named ‘Professor Ayushman’, which describes how Ayush systems and products helped in fighting not only COVID-19 but other diseases also.

The inaugural session also included signing of 5 memoranda of Understanding among global institutions and governments. Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth MoU with Argentina, Tripartite MoU between All India Institute of Ayurveda (and Brazil on the establishment of academic collaboration in Ayurveda. MoU between All Indian Institute of Ayurveda and University Health Network, Toronto, Canada, MoU for the establishment of the Ayurveda Chair at Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Mexico and MoU between NIA, Jaipur and Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care on cooperation in the field of Ayurveda and other Traditional System of medicine.