New Delhi: Central Council for Research in Ayurveda Sciences (CCRAS), under the Ministry of Ayush, has launched the “Ayurveda Gyan Naipunya Initiative” (AGNI) to foster innovation among Ayurveda practitioners. The initiative aims to document and publish medical practices and therapeutic regimens for educational purposes, promoting evidence-based practices within the Ayurveda community.
Interested and qualified Ayurveda practitioners can submit their Expression of Interest by the 15th of December, 2023, using the format available on the CCRAS website http://ccras.nic.in. Submissions can be sent to ccrasagni[at]gmail[dot]com.
Prof Rabinarayanan Acharya, Director General of CCRAS, outlined the objectives of the AGNI project, emphasizing its role in providing a platform for Ayurveda practitioners to share their innovative practices and experiences. The initiative also seeks to cultivate a culture of evidence-based practice within the Ayurveda community and conduct research to validate pragmatic practices.
CCRAS plans to collaborate with Ayurveda practitioners and relevant institutes/organizations to undertake further research studies on reported medical practices. The documentation of these practices will be done in consultation with the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM).
With over 500,000 registered Ayurveda practitioners, mainly in India, CCRAS plays a pivotal role in coordinating and promoting research on scientific lines in Ayurveda. In addition to AGNI, CCRAS has previously initiated programs like SPARK, PG-STAR, and SMART to encourage scientific research in Ayurveda.
Recent successes in Ayurveda interventions have demonstrated its efficacy in managing new disease conditions, both acute and chronic, not described in classical texts. Notably, Ayurveda’s ability to address adverse effects of synthetic drugs/procedures has garnered global recognition.