Shimla, February 20
Traditional herbal massage is being introduced this summer in hotels of the HPTDC by the Ayurveda Department as a joint venture.
This is part of the “panchkarma”, the age-old Indian medicinal system to purify the body, for which a Rs 3.25 crore pilot project will be launched in April.
The project will initially be launched in hotels at Chail, Palampur, Jogindernagar and Kulu. Hundreds of tourists from different parts of the country and abroad visit these destinations and the HPTDC and the Ayurveda Department are hopeful that the herbal massage project will click.
The project is being launched keeping in view the immense herbal wealth that the state possesses. “Panchkarma” is a super-speciality of ayurveda and has achieved popularity.
Mr Mohan Lal, Minister of State for Ayurveda, said the package was designed for tourists who wished to take time off their hectic and stress-filled schedule to unwind and be close to nature.
It is being believed that the concept of health tourism will help sell Himachal as a year-round tourism destination with health rejuvenation packages being sold at a high premium to a special clientele. This will also generate resources for ayurveda professionals.
According to the Director of Ayurveda, Mr Subhash Ahluwalia, 43 lakh patients were registered in OPDs of ayurvedic dispensaries against 38 lakh in the allopathic system last year.
The Tibetan medicinal system was also attracting hundreds of people. The Centre was also encouraging the state government to strengthen the ayurvedic system and has sanctioned Rs 1.52 crore for upgrading the ayurvedic pharmacy at Paprola where a postgraduate ayurvedic college is also situated. A sum of Rs 20 crore has also been sanctioned for upgrading the college as a “centre of excellence in ayurveda”.
Alarmed over reports of smuggling of many rare species of herbs, the government has set up a five-member committee to patent its herbal wealth and scrutinise the ingredients and claims of patent and proprietary formulations of various ayurvedic manufacturing units.
As many as 42 herbs have been listed as endangered in the state and there were reports that these were being indiscriminately extracted in the mountainous areas. Some of the species have become extinct.
Extraction of herbs has become a lucrative business following the kidnapping of about 80 persons by terrorists in Chamba. Atleast 6,000 persons traditionally engaged in collecting herbs for their livelihood in 39 panchayats between Bandal and Trinda have been hit because the security forces have prohibited people from going to high reaches.
Mr Mohan Lal said a herbal garden was being established at Kalaban in Chamba. A “vanaspati van” is being set up for which the Centre has provided a grant of Rs 5.16 crore. Besides a dozen other herbal gardens, one was proposed to be established in the tribal area of Chitkul to grow rare species.
The Centre has also granted Rs 56.26 lakh for strengthening drug-testing laboratory at Jogindernagar.
