Modi lays stone of WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Jamnagar, inaugurates several projects

Jamnagar, April 19, 2022

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) in Jamnagar today in the presence of Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus.

The Prime Minister’s other engagements during his Gujarat visit included the inauguration of a new dairy complex and potato processing plant at Diyodar in Banaskantha district, the Banas Community Radio Station to provide farmers key scientific information related to agriculture and animal husbandry, the expanded facilities for the production of cheese products and whey powder at the Banas dairy plant in Palanpur.

He declared open the Organic Manure and Biogas plant at Dama. He also laid the foundation stone of four "gobar" gas plants of 100 tonnes capacity at Khimana, Ratanpura – Bhildi, Radhanpur and Thawar.

The GCTM will be the first and only global outpost centre for traditional medicine. Video messages from the Prime Ministers of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and the President of Maldives were played on the occasion.

Union Ministers Mansukh Mandavia, Sarbananda Sonowal, Munjapara Mahendrabhai and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel were among those present.

Ghebreyesus thanked Modi for his leadership in providing all the support for the establishment of the Centre and termed it as a truly global project as 107 WHO members have their country-specific governmental offices which means the world will come to India for its leadership in the traditional medicine.

For many regions of the world, traditional medicine is the first line of treatment. The new centre will focus on data, innovation and sustainability to optimize its use. The centre’s five main areas will be research and leadership, evidence and learning, data and analytics, sustainability and equity and innovation and technology, he added.

Jugnauth highlighted the importance of the indigenous medical system and herbal products in various cultures. He also gave details of legislative recognition of Ayurveda in Mauritius since 1989. He also thanked Gujarat for providing scholarships to students from Mauritius for studying Ayurvedic medicine in Jamnagar.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister noted Ghebreyesus’s connection with India and his involvement in this project. He also highlighted the three-decade-long association with Jugnauth and his family.

He noted that the Centre was a recognition of India's contribution and potential in this field. “India takes this partnership as a huge responsibility for serving the entire humanity,” he added.

“Jamnagar’s contributions towards wellness will get a global identity with WHO’s Global Centre for Traditional Medicine. More than five decades ago, the world’s first Ayurvedic University was established in Jamnagar. The city has a quality Ayurvedic institute, the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda.

While staying disease-free may be an important part of life the ultimate goal has to be wellness. Its importance was keenly felt during the pandemic period. “The world is looking for a new dimension of health care delivery today. I am happy that by giving the slogan ‘One planet our health’ WHO has promoted the Indian vision of ‘One Earth, One Health,’ he added.

“India’s traditional medicine system is not limited to treatment. It is a holistic science of life. Ayurveda goes beyond just healing and treatment. Apart from healing and treatment, social health, mental health-happiness, environmental health, sympathy, compassion and productivity are included.

“Ayurveda is taken as the knowledge of life and it has been deemed as the fifth Veda. Good health is directly related to a balanced diet. Our ancestors considered diet as half of the treatment and our medical systems are replete with dietary advice,” he said.

The Prime Minister noted the rising demand for Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani formulations globally as many countries are stressing the traditional medicine for dealing with the pandemic. Similarly, Yoga is gaining popularity across the world. It is proving immensely useful in fighting diseases like diabetes, obesity and depression. Yoga is also helping people in reducing mental tension and find balance in mind-body and consciousness.

He said the Centre should create a database of traditional knowledge systems using technology; develop international standards for testing and certification of traditional medicines; GCTM should evolve as a platform where global experts of traditional medicines come together and share experiences. He also asked the centre to explore the possibility of an annual traditional medicine festival. GCTM should mobilize funding for research in the field of traditional medicines. It should develop protocols for the holistic treatment of specific diseases so that patients could benefit from both traditional and modern medicine.

He invoked the Indian concept of the "Vasudhaiv Kutumbkam" and prayed for the whole world to always remain healthy. With the establishment of WHO-GCTM, this tradition will get further enriched.

At another function during his Gujarat visit, the Prime Minister dedicated to the nation a new dairy complex and potato processing plant at Diyodar in Banaskantha district, built at a cost of over Rs 600 crore.

The new dairy complex is a greenfield project. It will enable the processing of about 30 lakh litres of milk, produce about 80 tonnes of butter, one lakh litres of ice cream, 20 tonnes of condensed milk (Khoya) and 6 tonnes of chocolate daily. The potato processing plant will produce different types of processed potato products like french fries, potato chips, aloo tikki, patties etc, many of which will be exported to other countries. These plants will empower the local farmers and give a boost to the rural economy in the region.

He also inaugurated the Banas Community Radio Station set up to provide farmers with key scientific information related to agriculture and animal husbandry. It is expected that the radio station will connect with over 5 lakh farmers of about 1700 villages.

Modi declared open the expanded facilities for the production of cheese products and whey powder at the Banas dairy plant in Palanpur. He inaugurated the Organic Manure and Biogas plant at Dama. The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of four gobar gas plants of 100 tonnes capacity to be established at Khimana, Ratanpura – Bhildi, Radhanpur and Thawar.

Before the event, he tweeted about his association with Banas dairy and shared photographs from his visits in 2013 and 2016. “In the last several years, the Banas Dairy has become a hub for empowering local communities, especially farmers and women," he said. He also praised the spirit of the people of Banaskantha for their hard work and spirit of resilience.

Noting the expansion of activity in Banas Dairy, he said potato, honey and other related products are changing the destiny of the farmers. This is also adding to the campaign of vocal for local, he said, while noting the dairy’s expansion into food oil and peanuts.

He praised the dairy projects in Gobardhan and appreciated the dairy projects for helping in the government’s efforts to create wealth from waste by establishing such plants all over the country. These plants will benefit by maintaining cleanliness in villages, giving income to farmers for gobar, producing electricity and protecting the earth with natural manure.

The Prime Minister said the Banas dairy movement was helping farmers and cattle rearing communities in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand. With milk production of Rs 8.5 lakh crore, dairy is emerging as a bigger medium of farmers' income than traditional foodgrains, especially where landholdings are small and conditions are tough.

Reiterating his focus on natural farming, the Prime Minister referred to Banaskantha’s water conservation and drip irrigation. While treating water as "prasad" and gold, they should construct 75 grand Sarovars (lakes) in the year of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ (75th Year of Independence) till Independence Day in 2023, he added.

NNN