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| MANN KI BAAT - SPL. ISSUE - SECTION 6: INDUSTRY & ACADEMIA COLLABORATION |
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| Year : 2023 | Volume
: 7
| Issue : 5 | Page : 64-68 |
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Powering the Growth of India’s Ayush Sector
Indroneel Das, Kruti Mehra, Venkat Reddy, Eeshana Ish, Ramayi Kayina
Ayush Strategic Policy & Facilitation Bureau, India
| Date of Submission | 16-Apr-2023 |
| Date of Acceptance | 18-Apr-2023 |
| Date of Web Publication | 28-Apr-2023 |
Correspondence Address:
Indroneel Das
Ayush Strategic Policy & Facilitation Bureau
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
DOI: 10.4103/jras.jras_102_23
The vision, foresight and guidance of the Hon’ble Prime Minister, proxied strongly by the mentions of the Ayush sector and the Ministry of Ayush in ‘Mann Ki Baat’ have coincided with the rapid growth & development of the Ayush sector in India, and its increased demand across the globe. The two are hypothesized to have coincided because of a potential direct correlation between the impact and credibility of the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s highlights of Ayush through ‘Mann Ki Baat’, which have translated into a metamorphosis of the sector as a multiplier effect of the number of people & institutions following the commentary of ‘Mann Ki Baat’, as well as the credibility & coverage of ‘Mann Ki Baat’. The growth seen in Ayush industry (manufacturing & services), research & development, public health initiatives & demand, global traction, investment interest, and regulatory frameworks strongly support this correlation, especially when seen considering the specific initiatives, events, and developments of the Ayush sector which have been highlighted in a particular timeline by the Hon’ble PM, show a parallel upsurge in that specific (or related) sub-sector of Ayush. The objective of the current study is to Analyze & establish the impact of Ayush related highlights & mentions of the Hon’ble Prime Minister on ‘Mann Ki Baat’, on the Ayush sector. In the current work the Objective analysis of ongoing initiatives, events of Ministry of Ayush, supported by Ayush Strategic Policy & Facilitation Bureau (Invest India).
Knowledge derived from/data sourced from the following:
1. Ayush Strategic Policy & Facilitation Bureau (Invest India) knowledge sources & investigations
2. Ayush Strategic Policy & Facilitation Bureau (Invest India) industry interaction & feedback
3. Internal assessments & data from Ministry of Ayush
4. Startup India/Department for Promotion of Industry &Internal Trade databases
5. RIS Report on “Ayush Sector in India: Prospects & Challenges”
6. RIS Report on “Ayush Exports: Regulatory Opportunities & Challenges in Key Markets”
7. Invest India (Strategic Investment Research Unit) Report on “Think Holistic Health, Think India”
8. All India Institute of Ayurveda knowledge sourcesObservations and developments captured from the above have been juxtaposed thematically with domain-specific announcements by Hon’ble Prime Minister through ‘Mann Ki Baat’ and impacts have been studied in short-term (between 6 months to 1 year of announcement/attention given to a particular theme in Ayush) and sustainable long-term trends that have henceforth developed in the sector (as evidenced by Govt. data and ‘Mann Ki Baat’ announcements, from 2014 to 2023)Evidences from the listed methods &sources suggest a strong direct correlation between specific instances of Hon’ble Prime Minister’s coverage and/or mention of Ayush in ‘Mann Ki Baat’ (specific instances in Annexure 1) and a sustainable upsurge in the related domain Wof Ayush. Moreover, the overall synergistic impact of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ over the period from 2014-2023 provide multiple data points (close to 50) where mentions in ‘Mann Ki Baat’ have coincided with positive demand and/or developments in the sector in the near-term and shaping of long-term trends in the sector. Thus, it can be concluded that, Hon’ble Prime Minister, through his vision and highlighting of the Ayush sector on ‘Mann Ki Baat’ has caused & catalysed growth in Ayush sector, both domestically & globally. Keywords: Ayush sector, Mann Ki Baat, Ayush industry, Startup
How to cite this article:
Das I, Mehra K, Reddy V, Ish E, Kayina R. Powering the Growth of India’s Ayush Sector. J Res Ayurvedic Sci 2023;7, Suppl S1:64-8 |
| Introduction | |  |
Ayush stands for traditional systems of medicine and healthcare- Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Homoeopathy, and Sowa-Rigpa.The Department of AYUSH was established in 2005 and has been carved out as Ministry of AYUSH in 2014 under the vision of Hon’ble PM of India, for taking India’s traditional medicine & health practices to the world and getting the world to India.
The Hon’ble Prime Minister’s foresight and ambition for the Ayush sector is evident in the fact that Ayush & Ayush related initiatives have been mentioned close to 100 times on ‘Mann Ki Baat’ since 2014. The Ayush sector, its stakeholders, and the world at large, have taken note of this- and the sector has responded with phenomenal growth, new opportunities, a fast-evolving regulatory framework. Since the inception of Ministry of Ayush and the buoyant focus of the Hon’ble Prime Minister through Mann Ki Baat and other crucial support & initiatives of the Government of India, the Ayush sector has undergone a significant transition. The market size of Ayush manufacturing industry was about ₹245 Crore in 2014. As a powerful source of communication, credibility, and branding- Mann Ki Baat has regularly highlighted the achievements, growth, potential, ongoing initiatives & events, and encouraged the Ayush sector & the Ministry of Ayush. This has resulted in a growing global and domestic demand, further enabled by a strong support to regulatory, R&D and backend infrastructure by the Ministry of Ayush (Govt. of India) and the sector has shown tremendous growth in the last few years. The manufacturing industry in Ayush has been growing at a CAGR of 17% every year since 2014- projected at a market size of over ₹1900 Crore in 2022[1]. Showing an 8 times growth in the period between 2014-2022 [Figure 1].
| Objective analysis of ayush sector | | |
Ayush industry& startup ecosystem
In the period from 2014-2020, there were noteworthy mentions (in ‘Mann Ki Baat’) of aspects such as holistic health, preventive healthcare, Yoga, medicinal plants, evidence-based research, startups etc., propelling multiple facets of Ayush into global public view.
Catalyzed by the this, the Ayush manufacturing industry had grown from ₹53,719.75 Crore in 2014 to₹1,89,990 Crore in 2022[1]. Different product segments have grown at a much higher or similar rate than the overall industry during the same time frame i.e., 2014-20. Plant derivatives experienced 21 per cent growth in the period 2014-2020 followed by nutraceuticals (20.5 per cent), pharmaceuticals (15.8 per cent), plant extracts 14.7 per cent and herbal plants (14.3 per cent). Ayush has provided direct employment to 10 lakh people and indirect jobs to 2.5 crore persons, as of 2020. Total Ayush export of India was about₹126 crore in 2020 [Figure 2].
Parallelly, the Startup ecosystem has also gained momentum in the Ayush sector. There are 900 DPIIT-recognized startups (as of December 2022) in this rapidly growing sector. In addition, as per latest data from the Ministry of MSME- there are over 53,000 MSMEs in the Ayush sector (as of January 2023), up from 38,216 MSMEs (in August 2021)- a meteoric rise in small/new business interests. These startups are not only coming from Metro cities, but also from Tier2 & 3 cities(52% of these recognized startups are from Tier 2/Tier 3 cities), representing the penetration of Ayush and its deep-rooted cultural heritage, combined with modern entrepreneurial opportunities available in the sector. In line with the idea of equal representation of women across the industry and representing the pluralism of India- 55% of these startups have at least one-woman director. Representing the kind of growth the sector has seen, and the nature of opportunities available- 35% of these startups are already in the late stages of their startup lifecycle, which means they have found product-market fit, have been able to create awareness/demand, and also likely to have found investor support, which is all evidence to the increasing acceptance & demand for Ayush products & services. In addition to capitalizing on the immense potential of this sector domestically and across the world, these startups have also helped in the creation close to 8500 jobs.
These startups have been able to take advantage of the inclusive framework & expertise of expert bodies like Invest India, Startup India, Atal Innovation Mission, and iCAINE (the incubation center of All India Institute of Ayurveda) who have been working to support entrepreneurial opportunities in the sector. These bodies have come together to support infrastructure needs, mentorship, market access, create funsing support and host marquee events such as the Ayush Startup Challenge which was organized by AIIA in 2022 and saw participation from 160 companies.
The Global Ayush Investment & Innovation Summit (2022), which was inaugurated by the Hon’ble PM and highlighted in a July 2022 episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’- was one of the most prominent events that have been organized in the sector. It was held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat and witnessed letter of intents (LoIs) for investment interests of over ₹9000 crore in major categories like FMCG, Medical Value Travel (Heal in India), Pharma, Technology & Diagnostic and Farmers & Agriculture. The first B2B Global Conference & Expo on Traditional Medicine under Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was also organized by Ministry of Ayush in Guwahati this year (March 2023). More than 150 international delegates from 19 countries of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) participated in the event, and trade interest of about₹590 crore was received from Ayush industry [2]. All these developments coincide (in a span of 6 months to 1 year) of related announcements by Hon’ble Prime Minister in ‘Mann Ki Baat’.
Not only startups & MSMEs, but large companies have shifted focus strongly in favour of Ayush. Right from the strong growth of Ayush focussed Indian companies such as Patanjali and Dabur, which have a total turnover of ₹8500 crore and ₹6200 crore (as of 2020)- the turnover from Ayush products alone contributes between 50 to 80% (on average) for these firms. As the commentary on ‘Mann Ki Baat’ shifted focus to holistic health, ‘Fit India’ and immunity building, through 2019 and 2020, even allopathy and FMCG giants were seen shifting focus towards Ayush. GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals was making a revenue of about ₹1200 crore on its Ayush license (about 39% of total revenue), as of 2020. In the same period, Marico and Lupin Ltd. too contributed almost₹1000 crores and₹250 crores, respectively, under its Ayush license.
The revenue of prominent Ayush pharmaceutical companies increased considerably with the Indian Medicines Pharmaceuticals Corporation Limited, a government enterprise registering sales of ₹69.6 crores upto August 2020 as compared to 2019’s ₹26.7 crore. 283% growth in the sales of Chyawanprash was seen across the industry between April–June 2020 too- all comprehensive evidence of impact of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on public awareness & industry- as standalone data points, as well as from the long-term trend point of view [Figure 3].
| Public health in ayushand research & development initiatives | | |
Under the guidance of the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Ayush as a sector has made a lot of contributions to public health during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Ministry of Ayush undertook several R&D and public health initiatives to harness the potential of Ayush systems. These initiatives aimed at creating public awareness, mobilization of human resources, integrated health approaches, and Research and Development to tackle the outcomes of the pandemic. ‘Mann Ki Baat’ highlighted the key updates and support of Ayush towards Covid19 efforts- such as holistic health efforts and evidence based research[3].
To align with the vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister and to fight the unprecedented pandemic, a total 8,32,445 Ayush practitioners, paramedic staff and students enlisted themselves as COVID warriors on the Government portal to offer their services for clinical management, surveillance and management of COVID isolation centres and quarantine wards. Training on ‘COVID-19 Preparedness, Response and Containment’ was provided to the Ayush stakeholders to develop master trainers across the states. Total 1,75,603 Ayush stakeholders trained through iGOT platform in collaboration with MoHFW across the country and these master trainers further trained the Ayush personnel including Ayush students. Further, a force of over 37,000 Ayush staff was deployed for COVID-19 related healthcare services. The Ministry of Ayush constituted an interdisciplinary Ayush R&D Task Force consisting of scientists from premier organizations and research institutions. The Task Force recommended over 100 clinical, pre-clinical and epidemiological studies with help of national councils and research institutes.
‘Ayush Sanjivani’ mobile application was also launched to generate data on acceptance and usage of Ayush advocacies and measures among the general population and its impact in prevention of COVID-19. Such initiatives during the pandemic resulted in controlling the disease spread, and reducing the morbidity and mortality as compared to several other countries.
Apart from the initiatives during Covid, the Ministry of Ayush also contributed to the public health welfare through National Ayush Mission. Under NAM, a total of 12,500 Ayush Health and Wellness Centres have been approved so far and a total of 6871 Ayush HWCs are functioning at present. The Total beneficiaries of National Ayush Mission have been estimated to be 3,84,69,449 people [Figure 4].{Figure 4}
The Ministry of Ayush has also been actively working towards strengthening the Research and Development in Ayush. As a result, more than 1,50,000 research and clinical evidence reports have been published/cited in the Ayush sector in various journals, including globally reputed ones such PubMed, and Science Direct. Many more have been published on Ayush research portal and Covid Research portal. These developments coincide with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s focus on evidence-based research through ‘Mann Ki Baat’, highlighted categorically in 2021 & 2022.
| Global traction | | |
Ayush sector has been seen getting a lot of acceptance globally. India has become a prominent destination for medical value &wellness tourism. The wellness tourism industry size was estimated to be₹548.36 Crore in 2021. With India’s G20 presidency this year, Ayush has been integrating significantly to the event, leading to the sector’s globalization through dialogue & partnership. This G20 presidency for India envisages a forum for all stakeholders of traditional medicine, to share best practices while promoting global collaboration in the field of R&D, capacity building, and standardizing regulatory guidelines to achieve sustainable holistic health ecosystem. Adding to this, WHO- GCTM in Jamnagar, Gujarat will increase awareness around Ayush ecosystems, and promote collaborative efforts in research, regulations, and trade. India’s G20 Presidency is working to promote this universal sense of one-ness. Hence the theme — ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’, is not just a slogan. It considers recent changes, developments, and progress in human circumstances, which we have collectively failed to appreciate. In response to this and along with increased global interest and demand, India will highlight and showcase the existing huge potential of Traditional Medicine (Ayush) and will endeavor to orient the other countries arriving at G20 meetings in India.
Moreover, Ayush has enabled multiple success stories of Medical Value Tourism (MVT) in India. Raila Odinga, former Kenyan Prime Minister, was all praise for the medical services rendered by the Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye-care Hospital in Koothattukulam, Ernakulam that has helped his daughter regain her eyesight. The Oscar winning Hollywood actress Halle Berry has also been a visitor to Kerala for Ayurveda treatment. To enable a more comprehensive and supportive ecosystem for MVT, Ministry of Ayush has been working towards Ayush Visa, as envisaged by Hon’ble Prime Minister during GAIIS, 2022. The combination of global needs & awareness, an enabling ecosystem, and upcoming initiatives will surely make medical & wellness value travel a focal point for the healthcare ecosystem of India.
Ministry of Ayush has also signed a total of 77 MoUs to enhance its global presence. Out of these, 25 have been signed for country-to-country cooperation, 37 have been signed for collaborative research and development and 15 have been signed for Ayush academic chairs. This includes prominent ones such as the one signed between CSIR and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Why all these globally relevant developments align with each other, is because the long-term global leanings of the sector align with the envisioned direction visualized through ‘Mann Ki Baat’ right from 2014, where the Hon’ble Prime Minister spoke of the juxtaposition of Ayush and efforts of the United Nations, World Health Organization and the potential global health impacts of Ayush initiatives such as International Yoga Day, through 2014, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
| Conclusion | | |
An assessment of the key developments in the sector from 2014 to 2023, when compared to the highlights of Ayush through ‘Mann Ki Baat’ in the same period and assessed for short-term impacts (between 6 months to 1 year of announcement/attention given to a particular theme in Ayush) and sustainable long-term trends that have henceforth developed in the sector (as evidenced by Govt. data and ‘Mann Ki Baat’ announcements, from 2014 to 2023), show 3 strong trends-
- (i) In cases, where the theme addressed through ‘Mann Ki Baat’ is industry focused in nature, there has been a strong, short-term uptick in industry activity in the relevant sub-sectors of Ayush, and that has resulted in positive, long-term trends.
- (ii) Where the theme addressed through ‘Mann Ki Baat’ is strategic and/or global in nature- the nature of alignment of the sector has been long-term. This is probably also owing to the fact that the vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister has led to the Govt. of India (especially Ministry of Ayush) taking steps to cement the said actions and other stakeholders of the Ayush ecosystem to pay more active attention/participate more actively with such initiatives.
- (iii) Where the announcement/discussion has been specific to an event- the outcomes of the event have highlighted that the number and quality of populace engaged with such events, as well as the coverage of the events have always seen a visible markup compared to either previous events of the same type, or comparable proxy events.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
| References | | |
| 1. | Ayush Sector in India: Prospects and Challenges; and Ayush Exports: Regulatory Opportunities & Challenges in Key Markets. Forum on Indian Traditional Medicine. Available from https://fitm.ris.org.in/sites/fitm.ris.org.in/files/Publication/AYUSH-Export-Report.pdf. [Last accessed on 18 Apr 2023]  |
| 2. | Big Boost for Ayush market with trade interest of more than ₹590 crores generated at the ‘1st SCO Conference & Expo on Traditional Medicine’ in Guwahati Press Information Bureau. Available from https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1904450 [Last accessed on 10 Apr 2023] |
| 3. | Kotecha R The journey with COVID-19: Initiatives by Ministry of AYUSH. Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine. 2021 Jan;12(1):1. |
[Figure 1], [Figure 2], [Figure 3]
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