Will the Minister of AYURVEDA,YOGA AND NATUROPATHY,UNANI,SIDDHA AND HOMOEOPATHY(AYUSH) be pleased to state:
(a) the measures taken by the Government to strengthen and expedite various R&D projects in Yoga and Naturopathy; and
(b) whether the Government has reviewed the programme and if so, the details and the outcome thereof along with the action taken against NGOs/institutions found guilty of alleged funds misutilisation?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF AYURVEDA,
YOGA & NATUROPATHY, UNANI, SIDDHA AND HOMOEOPATHY
(SHRI SHRIPAD YESSO NAIK)
(a): Ministry of AYUSH has set-up two autonomous organisations namely, Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy (CCRYN) and Morarji Desai National Institute Of Yoga (MDNIY) as apex bodies for Research and Education in the field of Yoga and Naturopathy.
CCRYN is implementing following programmes to strengthen and expedite R&D Projects in Yoga and Naturopathy in the country:
i. Establishment of Post Graduate Institutes of Yoga and Naturopathy Education and Research (PGIYNER).
ii. Establishment of Central Research Institute of Yoga & Naturopathy (CRIYN).
iii. Clinical Research- IMR and Collaborative (Multi-centric collaborative scheme Research Scheme).
MDNIY has completed following four activities:-
i. Preparation and dissemination of consumer information guidelines on proper use of Yoga.
ii. Organization of capacity building workshops and training programs on the role, scope, practice and evidence-based use of Yoga in non-communicable diseases.
iii. Development and dissemination of standardized health promotion Yoga modules for various target groups (Children, Adolescents and Women of reproductive age, Geriatric population, and Mental health promotion).
iv. Meta-analysis of Yoga research studies for documentation and promotion of evidence-based uses of Yoga.
Further, the Ministry of AYUSH runs a scheme, namely Extra Mural Research (EMR) for granting aid to researchers for conducting projects related to AYUSH systems including Yoga & Naturopathy. As a special measure, Ministry of AYUSH invited research proposals under EMR Scheme on the topic of “Management of Diabetes Mellitus and its complications through Yoga” during 2016-17.
(b): The functioning of Extra Mural Scheme have been evaluated by independent agency. Based on the evaluation, the EMR scheme has been revised in November, 2014 with following major changes:
(i) Increase in financial assistance- To encourage quality research work, the maximum limit of financial Assistant for the project has been increased from Rs. 30 Lakhs to Rs. 70 Lakhs.
(ii) Introduction of Annual AYUSH Award –An award system has been introduced for each discipline of AYUSH to encourage outstanding research.
(iii) Increase in Fee- In order to compensate the efforts of the investigators, the prescribed fee has been increased to a range of Rs. 30,000/- to Rs. 90,000/- (for period ranging from 1-3 years)in respect of Principal Investigator. Proportionately, the fee for Co-investigators have been increased to a range of Rs. 15,000/- to Rs. 45,000/- (for period ranging from 1-3 years).
(iv) Reduction in stages of clearance- In order to expedite clearance to projects, one stage i.e. internal Scrutiny committee has been done away with. Presently, only two committees, viz., Project Screening Committee(PSC) and Project Approval Committee(PAC) have been kept.
(v) Simplification of forms:- The application form for EMR scheme has been simplified.
There is no report received in the Ministry alleging mis-utilisation of fund. However, as a proactive step, the Government has directed all NGOs receiving funds under EMR Scheme to register on NITI Aayog NGO Darpan – Portal and submit PAN and Aadhaar numbers of trustees and office bearers. Further, a Certificate claiming that Organisation/ Institute have not taken grant from more than one source for the same work, is sought from the Head of the Institute.
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