New Delhi [India], September 16 (ANI): Ayurveda is being advanced through evidence, research, and innovation, and is being viewed through the comprehensive lens of holistic health and well-being, Union Minister for Ayush Prataprao Jadhav has said.
The Minister told ANI that adding that Ayurveda Day will be celebrated on September 23 with theme ‘Ayurveda for a Healthy Future’
“This year, we are celebrating the 11th Ayurveda Day, and the theme for this occasion is ‘Ayurveda for a Healthy Future.’ Based on this theme, programs have been underway for several days across the country, organised by our Ministry of AYUSH as well as numerous Ayurveda institutes. The overarching vision this year is ‘One Health, One Future’,” he said.
The theme ‘Ayurveda for a Healthier Tomorrow’, comes at a time when India is seeking to connect its centuries-old knowledge system with modern research, quality standards and international healthcare frameworks.
Over the past decade, the Ayush sector has witnessed significant economic expansion, creating a stronger foundation for the growth and wider adoption of Ayurveda. The Ayush market grew from USD 2.85 billion in 2014 to USD 43.4 billion in 2023, while Ayush exports increased from USD 1.09 billion to USD 2.16 billion during the same period. Government initiatives have also focused on strengthening MSMEs and startups, helping create a broader ecosystem for entrepreneurship, innovation and investment in the sector.
The growing domestic acceptance of Ayush systems provides another important foundation for this expansion. The first exclusive All-India Survey on Ayush, conducted by the National Sample Survey Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation during July 2022–June 2023, covered 1,81,298 households, including 1,04,195 rural and 77,103 urban households.
The survey recorded Ayush awareness levels of 94.8 per cent in rural areas and 96 per cent in urban areas. It also found that 46.3 per cent of rural residents and 52.9 per cent of urban residents had used Ayush for treatment or prevention during the preceding 365 days. Ayurveda emerged as the most commonly used Ayush system for treatment, indicating its substantial domestic base and potential contribution to preventive healthcare and wellness.
India is also seeking to leverage the growing global demand for holistic healthcare through medical value travel. A dedicated Ayush Visa was introduced on July 27, 2023, for foreign nationals seeking treatment under Ayush systems. The Government has also partnered with the India Tourism Development Corporation to identify tourism circuits with potential for Ayurveda and other traditional systems. The global medical value travel market, estimated at USD 115.6 billion in 2022, is projected to reach approximately USD 286.1 billion by 2030. Ayurveda and other traditional systems can therefore become an important component of India’s medical value travel and wellness ecosystem by bringing together healthcare services, wellness offerings and tourism.
A significant policy development in this direction has been the release of NITI Aayog’s “Strategic Roadmap for Making Ayurveda Global” in July 2026. Envisioned as a long-term pathway up to 2047, the roadmap focuses on regulation and standards, research, education, international collaboration, exports, branding and medical value travel.
It emphasises the need for quality standards, robust infrastructure, credible research, trained professionals, consistent products and regulatory frameworks that can be understood and recognised internationally.
The roadmap seeks to create the institutional and quality ecosystem necessary for Ayurveda’s responsible expansion and greater confidence in its services and products in international markets. (ANI)
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