Union Minister Sonowal, AP CM Khandu lay foundation stone for NEIAFMR capacity expansion

Pasighat (Arunachal Pradesh) [India], December 26 : Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal and Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu laid the foundation stone for capacity expansion at the North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda and Folk Medicine Research (NEIAFMR) at Pasighat today.
With a total investment of Rs 53 crore, additional infrastructure will be developed at the institute, read AYUSH Ministry press release.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said, "Folk medicine has a rich heritage of healing humanity for thousands of years. It has remained among our communities, helping generations to enrich their lives."
He further added that under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a sincere effort has been made to rejuvenate traditional medicine, including folk medicine, to bolster our healthcare system and provide people with an enriched life experience.
Supplementing this effort, the Modi government has committed investment to build additional infrastructure at NEIAFMR.
The event was also graced by the Speaker of the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Pasang Dorjee, the Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Women & Child Development and Tribal Affairs, Govt of Arunachal Pradesh, Alo Libang, the MP (Lok Sabha) for Arunachal East, Tapir Gao, MLA of 38 Pasighat East, Kaling Moyong, MLA of Pasighat West, Ninnog Ering, State Information Commissioner of Arunachal Pradesh, Gumjhum Haider, the Vice Chancellor of Arunachal Pradesh State University, Prof Tomo Riba among other dignitaries.
The capacity expansion at the institute includes an academic building, hostels for boys and girls students, staff quarters and a director's bungalow.
The investment will cater to the development of additional infrastructure for the opening of Ayurveda College for imparting quality undergraduate courses in Ayurveda, the Bachelor of Ayurveda Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) as well as postgraduate courses in due course.
The new Ayurveda college at NEIAFMR, Pasighat will promote and develop Ayurveda through education, research and extension services.
Engineering Projects (India) Limited, a Government of India enterprise, is the executing agency for the project.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Pema Khandu said, "We are very happy that an institution of Arunachal Pradesh - North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda and Folk Medicine Research (NEIAFMR) - is working towards harnessing the richness of folk medicine of the Northeast."
NEIAFMR was established to strengthen and develop traditional healthcare, with a special focus on the Northeast.
It functions as the apex research centre for all aspects of local health traditions (LHTs) and ethnomedical practices (EMPs).