How can traditional medicine systems like Ayurveda contribute to India's Viksit Bharat@2047 vision?

Q. How can traditional medicine systems like Ayurveda contribute to India's Viksit Bharat@2047 vision? (15 marks, 250-350 words)

Viksit Bharat@2047 envisages a developed, self-reliant India by the centenary of Independence. NITI Aayog's report "Strategic Roadmap for Making Ayurveda Global" (2 July 2026) expressly aligns Ayurveda's globalisation with this vision [1], positioning traditional medicine as an economic, health and diplomatic asset rather than a cultural relic.

Economic value creation and exports - The roadmap links Ayurveda to economic value creation, employment generation and export strengthening, treating manufacturing and the practitioner workforce as growth levers [1]. - Globalised manufacturing and exports of standardised Ayurvedic formulations can diversify India's services-and-goods export basket and support MSME clusters in herbal cultivation and processing.

Affordable and preventive healthcare - Ayurveda's preventive, lifestyle-based approach complements modern medicine in tackling the non-communicable disease burden, easing costs in the pursuit of universal health coverage. - WHO's Global Traditional Medicine Centre at Jamnagar, established in 2022 with Indian support, anchors traditional medicine within primary health care and UHC [2] — a direct contribution to SDG-3.

Soft power and health diplomacy - The report's framing of global leadership in traditional medicine, with the Ministry of External Affairs as a co-stakeholder, converts Ayurveda into an instrument of cultural diplomacy alongside Yoga [1].

Knowledge economy: research, education, standardisation - The roadmap's pillars of international R&D, standardised global education and regulatory compliance [1] push Ayurveda toward evidence-based validation — essential for foreign regulatory acceptance and for protecting traditional knowledge from misappropriation.

Challenges to address - Limited clinical evidence, quality and safety concerns, non-recognition of Indian qualifications abroad, and absence of insurance coverage remain binding constraints [1].

Ayurveda can thus contribute to Viksit Bharat@2047 across four channels — exports, affordable health, soft power and knowledge creation — provided globalisation rests on scientific rigour. A phased approach combining rigorous clinical trials, harmonised standards, mutual-recognition agreements and sustained whole-of-government coordination among NITI Aayog, Ayush and MEA [1] would let this civilisational knowledge system genuinely serve a developed India.

(~320 words)

Sources: 1. NITI Aayog launches report on "Strategic Roadmap for Making Ayurveda Global", PIB (2 July 2026) — Viksit Bharat@2047 alignment; economic value creation, employment and export goals; availability–acceptability pillars (R&D, standardised education, regulation, insurance, collaborations); MEA as co-stakeholder 2. WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre, World Health Organization — establishment at Jamnagar in 2022 with Government of India support; focus on primary health care and universal health coverage