Delhi to host global Ayurveda summit, support start-ups: CM Rekha Gupta

Delhi government is planning to host a global Ayurveda summit and provide support to start-ups focused on the age-old Indian medicinal system, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Thursday.

Addressing the All India Ayurvedic Congress here, Gupta said the way Ayurveda is getting popular at the global level, other countries look up to India for more information and the availability of Ayurvedic medicines.

"I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for setting up the Ayush ministry and providing a bigger platform to Ayurveda and other related medicinal systems by formulating policies," she said.

Setting up the All India Institute of Ayurveda in Delhi on the lines of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences is a big milestone, she said.

"We should organise a global Ayurveda summit in Delhi that will be supported by the government. We can present the Ayurvedic system before the people from across the world at the summit," she said in his address to experts in the field of Ayurveda.

She said the summit would provide an opportunity for experts and academicians associated with the Ayurvedic system to discuss new initiatives and innovations in the traditional medicinal system.

She said the Delhi government plans to roll out various initiatives like sponsoring Ayurveda-based start-ups to encourage youngsters to work in this field, while promoting yoga gurus and experts to work on innovations.

She also suggested the digitisation of all Ayurveda texts and knowledge.

Delhi government runs 197 Ayush Centres across the city where Ayurvedic medicines are provided to people. These include 55 Ayurveda, 25 Unani and 117 homoeopathy dispensaries. Besides, there are three medical colleges and four hospitals that follow the Ayurvedic system, Gupta said.

In the budget 2025-26, the Delhi government has allocated ₹275 crore for developing alternative medicinal systems, including ₹100 crore for Ayush, she added.

Talking to the reporters on the sidelines of the event, the chief minister said Modi has taken several steps to make Ayurveda available to everyone in the country and to popularise it across the world.

"We will plan a global summit on Ayurveda," she said.

People tired of allopathy are returning to Ayurveda as it provides a holistic cure for diseases. It is the responsibility of the government to make Ayurveda, homoeopathy and other such medicinal systems accessible to people, she added.