AMN / Panaji
The 9th World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) & Arogya Expo, billed as the biggest event in traditional wellness system, will be held in this capital city of Goa in December, seeking to give a transformational push to Ayurveda to bring it into global focus.
Another objective of the event, being held in Goa for the first time, is to create an accessible and affordable healthcare system that is in harmony with modern medicine practices.
‘Ayurveda for One Health’ is the focal theme of the December 8-11 event this year at Kala Academy, being organised by World Ayurveda Foundation,an initiative of Vijnana Bharati.
As a prelude to the WAC, Mr Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister, AYUSH; Dr Pramod Sawant, Goa Chief Minister and Mr Shripad Yesso Naik, Union Minister of State for Tourism will attend a curtain raiser event at Hotel Vivanta by Taj here on October 13.
Mr Vishwajit P Rane, Goa Minister of Health; Mr Govind Gaude, Goa Minister of Arts and Culture; and Vd Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Union Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy), will also attend the curtain raiser event.
The four-day event, supported by both the Central and state governments and the Union Ministry of AYUSH, will witness an assemblage of various Ayurveda stakeholders — industry leaders, practitioners, traditional healers, educationists, students, drug manufacturers, growers of medicinal plants and marketing strategists — from across the world.
Seven plenary sessions, 16 themes for oral presentation, a string of associated events, and public outreach programmes willdominate the proceedings of the conclave, which is to be attended by more than 4,500delegates, including 400 plus from abroad, from over 45 countries.The plenary will be addressed by eminent scientists, academicians, policymakers and Ayurveda practitioners.
The associated events include a seminar on Medicinal Plants by National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB); a conclave on Pashu Ayurveda; Ethnopharmacology & Traditional Healers’ Meet;Guru Shishya Meet by Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth (RAV), an autonomous organisation under Ministry of AYUSH; Principals’ Conclave by National Commission for Indian System of Medicine(NCISM); Ayurveda & Jyothish Vijnana; and International Delegates Assembly.
There will also be a session on Ayurveda & Media and a Short Film Festival on Ayurveda.
The Arogya Expo, a popular component of the WAC, will be held, showcasing advances in AYUSH systems of medicine.It will have pavilions from Ministry of AYUSH, Quality Council of India (QCI), AYUSHEXCIL and Ayurveda Colleges, NMPB, and CSIR besides more than 300 stalls. At the expo, AYUSH Arogya clinics will be set up for free medical check-up.
As many as 24 satellite seminars were organised across the country during August-October as a run-up to the 9th WAC. These seminars covered a wide range of topics and were designed to propagate the objectives of the Congress and enhance delegate registration. Launched in 2002, WAC provides a global platform for all the stakeholders for networking and engaging in intellectual exchange to strengthen the Ayurveda sector, envision the future, showcase advances in relevant fields, and facilitate interaction between professionals and consumers to boost Ayurveda commerce.