It was also agreed in the review that the entire AYUSH sector would work together to achieve price and quality competitiveness in order to improve AYUSH exports. The analysis was carried out via a video conference on 4 December 2020, attended by nearly 50 industry leaders and business leaders from the AYUSH market. More than 2000 AYUSH Sector stakeholders also participated in the e-event via live streaming on virtual platforms.

 

Secretary AYUSH started the discussions with a presentation on the action taken by the Ministry of AYUSH on the recommendations of the previous meeting. He also briefed on the numerous other steps taken by the Ministry of AYUSH to alleviate the situation of COVID19 and to promote the AYUSH industry. He spoke of the emerging opportunities for the promotion of the AYUSH sector and set out a few obstacles that deserved attention.

 

Officials from the Ministry of Trade and Industry, RIS, BIS and Invest India and the AYUSH industry expressed their thoughts in the open forum that followed. The efforts made by the Ministry of AYUSH to introduce AYUSH-based solutions to the public in the wake of COVID19 were lauded by all.

 

Shri Shripad Naik underscored the increasing global interest in AYUSH-based solutions for disease resistance and treatment during the challenging era of the Covid-19 pandemic. He said that trade in the AYUSH sector needed to be updated quickly to meet the increasing demands of India and abroad, and to serve a larger number of people who are now looking for these systems to preserve their health. He also remembered the numerous measures taken by the Ministry during the pandemic to provide people with protection from the dreaded Corona virus. He told the participants that the AYUSH immunity protocols and the National Clinical Management Protocol for Covid 19 for Ayurveda and Yoga were timely measures that offered relief to significant sections of the population. The emerging evidence of a link between low Covid-19 mortality rates and the large-scale adoption of AYUSH prophylactic solutions by the population is important for public health practise in the country.

 

Shri Piyush Goyal appreciated the leading role played by the AYUSH Sector in the battle against Covid-19. The protection given to the common people by the AYUSH systems during the time of the pandemic neutralised the doubt that many people had about the effectiveness of the medicines and products offered by these systems. The rise in exports of AYUSH products in recent months is a direct reflection of their increasing popularity in many countries. The standardisation of the export-related HS codes can be seen as a priority step towards the promotion of exports. He called on the AYUSH Ministry to work in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce and Finance to accomplish this early.

 

The Trade Minister also urged business leaders to work concurrently on the quality and pricing of their goods to make them more competitive on the global market. He endorsed the idea of the AYUSH Export Promotion Council and said that the Ministry of Commerce would be pleased to support it. Continued help from the Ministry of Commerce would be available to the AYUSH Sector on all trade promotion issues, and special meetings with officials of the Ministry would be arranged, as and when necessary, to address any important issue. Another advice from the Commerce Minister was the creation of acceptable criteria that could gain international recognition. He also promised that AYUSH will be properly included in the "Brand India" activities currently underway. He emphasised the need for industry and the Government to work together on different aspects of branding and promotion.