Yoga and naturopathy can play an important role in disease prevention, healthy lifestyles, rehabilitation and healthy ageing, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ayush Prataprao Jadhav said on Monday, stressing the need to complement modern medicine with evidence-based traditional health practices.
Jadhav made the remarks while chairing the fifth meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Ayush in New Delhi. The meeting focused on strengthening Yoga and Naturopathy through education, scientific research, quality standards and wider community access.
The minister said the growing burden of non-communicable diseases, stress and mental health challenges associated with modern lifestyles had made prevention and health promotion increasingly important.
“Prevention and healthy lifestyles must go hand in hand with disease treatment,” Jadhav said, highlighting the potential of Yoga and naturopathy in supporting physical and mental well-being, rehabilitation, stress and pain management, and lifestyle modification.
He also underlined the importance of healthy ageing as India’s elderly population continues to grow. Maintaining physical activity, mobility, mental well-being, independence and quality of life, he said, would be crucial, with Yoga and naturopathy having a potential role in supporting active ageing.
Focus on scientific evidence
Jadhav said India’s traditional knowledge systems should be integrated with modern scientific research and evidence to ensure that their benefits are evaluated and delivered through appropriate quality standards.
“Tradition is our strength, science is its evidence, and quality is our priority,” he said.
He stressed that Yoga and naturopathy should complement modern medicine rather than operate in isolation, with greater emphasis on prevention, health promotion, lifestyle modification, rehabilitation and wellness.
Institutional framework strengthened
The government is strengthening the institutional ecosystem for Yoga and naturopathy through organisations including the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, Yoga Certification Board, National Institute of Naturopathy, Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy and Naturopathy Registration Board.
Jadhav said these institutions play an important role in education, training, certification, research, healthcare, quality assurance and professional standardisation.
He described the establishment of the Naturopathy Registration Board as an important step towards strengthening registration and quality standards in the field.
A presentation by Ayush Ministry Joint Secretary Alarmelmangai D. highlighted the country’s expanding Yoga and naturopathy ecosystem. According to the ministry, there are 22 research units of CCRYN, more than 100 universities offering Yoga courses, over 5,000 Yoga centres, 113 accredited institutions and 29 accredited personnel certification bodies.
The ministry also highlighted India’s growing research base, with more than 10,500 peer-reviewed, PubMed-indexed publications, along with initiatives focused on research collaboration, digital outreach, wellness tourism and employment generation.
MPs seek unified regulatory mechanism
Members of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee and experts discussed the need for stronger regulatory and quality mechanisms for Yoga and naturopathy education.
Members unanimously agreed on the need for a unified regulatory mechanism for education in Yoga and Naturopathy, according to the Ayush Ministry.
The meeting identified seven priority areas for the coming years, including strengthening education and institutional infrastructure, promoting scientific research, improving certification and accreditation in Yoga, and strengthening registration and quality assurance in naturopathy.
Other priorities include expanding community-level access to preventive and wellness services, promoting Yoga and naturopathy as part of wellness tourism and medical value travel, and taking India’s traditional practices to global audiences backed by scientific evidence and quality standards.
Ayush Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, senior officials, experts and other stakeholders also attended the meeting.
The deliberations reaffirmed the Ministry’s focus on strengthening Yoga and naturopathy as accessible and evidence-based components of preventive healthcare, in line with the broader vision of a healthy India and Viksit Bharat@2047.
