Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Virbhadra Singh today inaugurated three-day state level ‘Arogya Mela’ at historic Ridge of Shimla, organized jointly by Ministry of Ayush, GoI, State Ayurveda Department and Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). Stressing upon ensuring better quality of Ayurveda medicines, the Chief Minister said that pharmacies in Government sector located at Joginder nagar in Mandi district and at Majra in Sirmour district requires more research in this direction.
As per the observations during past couple of years, the people all over the world were showing keen towards India’s ancient medicinal system which includes Ayurveda, Yoga and naturopathy and were adopting the same. The Himalayan region was a treasure house of medicinal herbs and plants and they were to be utilized to their full potential both scientifically and naturally, he said for better use of the people.
He said that the Government was endeavoring to strengthen the Ayurveda medicinal system and efforts were also afoot to promote Unani, Siddha, Yoga, Homeopathy medicinal system along-with Allopathy and Ayurveda so that the people especially those residing in far-flung areas of the State could be benefited. He said that to strengthen the health infrastructure, three Medical Colleges were being opened in Chamba, Hamirpur and Sirmour. Dr. Y.S. Parmar Medical College in Nahan has been made functional and the ESIC Medical College at Ner chowk in district Mandi would soon be made functional.
The Chief Minister urged the people to derive more benefits during the festival and to get themselves treated for various ailments at cheaper rates. In order to strengthen the Ayurveda department, 42 Ayurveda health institutions were opened besides filling up the vacant posts of different categories, he said. Earlier, the Chief Minister also evinced keen interest in the exhibition set up during the festival.
Ayurveda and Cooperative Minister Shri Karan Singh briefed about the activities of the Department. He said that the research activities would be carried out more extensively in Government Ayurveda College, Paprola. He said that a decision had been taken to open a 50 bed Ayurvedic Hospital at Bajaura in Kullu district. The students of Yoga Department of HP University performed Yoga on the occasion besides cultural presentation by differently abled children of Special School Sunder nagar and others.
Chief Parliamentary Secretary Shri Mansa Ram, Chairperson Red Cross Hospital Welfare Section and former MP Smt. Pratibha Singh, President HP Youth Congress Shri Vikramaditya Singh, Chairman MILKFED Shri Chet Ram Thakur, Principal Secretary, Ayurveda Smt. Nisha Singh, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, GoI, Shri Rama Nanda Meena, Director Ayurveda Shri R.K. Pruthi, Chairman, CII Himachal Pradesh State Council, Shri Sanjay Khurana, OSD Ayurveda Shri Dinesh Kumar were present on the occasion amongst others.