Kerala-based Santhigiri Ashram has launched a programme to train manpower for Ayurveda and Siddha, the traditional Indian medical systems.
The objective is to substantially improve healthcare in the country while providing skilled employment opportunities to youth, especially in the medical and wellness tourism sector.
Swami Padmaprakasha Jnana Thapaswi, in-charge of the Delhi Zonal Office of the Santhigiri Ashram and National board member of Medical & Wellness Tourism, under Tourism Ministry, said that in the first phase, one training institute would be set up in each northern and north-eastern state.
He added these regions were being focused on initially as there were a rising awareness in the region about the efficacy of Ayurveda Panchakarma treatment but not enough qualified doctors and practitioners.
Founded by Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru, the Ashram is well-placed to undertake this programme as it is already running Ayurveda and Siddha medical colleges, research centres, medicine manufacturing units and a nationwide chain of Ayurveda hospitals and Panchakarma centres.
As per industry estimates, the AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani , Siddha, Homoeopathy) sector, which has an annual turnover of around Rs 120 billion, is growing by 20 per cent annually. There is a need for about 90,000 Ayurveda Panchakarma technicians every year. In order to meet this demand, Santhigiri has rolled out a six-month certificate course in which 40 students from Below the Poverty Line (BPL) families from the rural areas of North and Northeast India would be provided free training (including food and accommodation) and also given job placements.
The Ashram is tying up with local NGOs, panchayats and other government departments in the North and North-east India to run these modules. Two such programmes have already been completed. The first one was carried out in the Naxal-affected areas of Bihar in association with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
The second Ayurveda Panchakarma Skill Development Training Programme concluded recently in association with the Container Corporation of India Ltd. (CONCOR), a PSU under the Union Railways Ministry, at the Santhigiri Paramedical Institute, New Delhi. All the students from these courses have been placed at Santhigiri Ayurveda hospitals in different parts of the country.
The second batch of 40 students at Delhi would commence training in mid-January. Simultaneously, 40 students from the North-eastern states would be imparted training at the Santhigiri Paramedical Institute at Guwahati, Assam under collaboration with the Numaligarh Refinery Ltd. (NRL), a PSU under the Union Ministry of Petroleum. Another training programme would be held for janitors / Safai Karmacharis and their dependents in association with National Safai Karmacharis Finance and Development Corp. (NSKFDC), under the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment at Guwahati, Assam.
Santhigiri Ashram, founded by Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru in 1964, near Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala has over the years grew into an influential movement through its spiritual, cultural, social and economic development activities. The Ashram is recognised by the Union Ministry of Science and Development as a Scientific and Industrial Research Organization. Donations to the Santhigiri Research Foundation (SRF) enjoy income tax exemption.
