World Unani Day: Union Ministers slam Cong for ignoring country's traditional system of medicine

India, one of the world's oldest civilizations, has immense potential to come to the forefront and work for the betterment of society and humankind via Unani, said Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on the occasion of World Unani Day on Saturday.

New Delhi: Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju took a jibe at the previous governments (before 2014) and said "Right after 2014, Unani, which is India's one of the oldest medical practices, which was ignored during the rule of previous governments with less allocation of the budget came at the forefront only after 2014 as PM Modi not only created a separate Ministry, but also paid emphasis for its promotion both at the national and at the global level." The Union Law Minister Unani was speaking on the occasion of World Unani Day on Saturday. Meanwhile, practitioners, scholars and foreign delegates from New Delhi's Vigyan Bhavan addressed the media on the occasion.

India, one of the world's oldest civilizations, has immense potential to come to the forefront and work for the betterment of society and humankind via Unani. While one cannot ignore the scientific approach in modern times in the medical field, but both the scientific approach and the use of old techniques and practices can create a better environment for humankind, said the Law Minister.

Inaugurating the international conference on Unani Medicine for public health and launching a mobile app for Unani medicine developed by Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine, Union Aayush Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said. "In the last nine years under PM Modi, Ayush and Unani have witnessed unprecedented growth. India is taking global leadership in traditional medicine and wellness, a transformation that is also reflected in the huge popularity and acceptance of Ayush worldwide."

Drawing a parallel between the governments of before 2014 and post-2014, Union Minister Sonowal attacked the Congress and said that before 2014, this holistic and centuries-old medical science was neglected as they did not even allocate enough budget for its survival. But when PM Modi came, he not only created a specific Ministry for it, but also promoted it both at the national and the global level.

The Ministry of AYUSH (MoAYUSH) in this year's budget has received a sum of Rs 3,647.5 crore, which is around seven times greater than during the regime of Congress, he said. He said that an agreement has been signed between the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Government of India to establish, a WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine at Jamnagar in Gujarat.

At today's event, Union Law and Aayush Minister and other officials also paid tribute to the late Hakim Ajmal Khan, renowned philanthropist, freedom fighter and great Indian Unani Physician on his birth anniversary, which is celebrated as Unani Day. On the occasion, various Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM) publications, international conference souvenirs, online journals and a mobile app on Unani medicine were launched.