₹6,406 Crore Released to States, UTs to Boost Ayush Healthcare

The Centre has released Rs 6,406.99 crore to states and Union Territories through the National Ayush Mission (NAM) between financial years 2014-15 and 2025-26 to expand Ayush healthcare services and integrate them with the broader public healthcare system, according to an official factsheet issued on Tuesday.

The funding, supplemented by support under the National Health Mission (NHM), has been used to modernise local Ayush facilities, co-locate Ayush services in public health institutions and support the establishment of new colleges offering traditional systems of medicine.

As of September 19, 2026, nearly 12,260 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (Ayush AAMs) were functional across the country against the NAM target of 12,500. Ayush services are also being provided alongside conventional healthcare at 13,249 public health facilities under the NHM.

The government is funding the salaries of 25,322 Ayush doctors and 5,666 Ayush paramedics deployed across states and Union Territories, the factsheet said.

Under the NAM, approval has also been granted for the establishment of 17 Ayush colleges across the country, including 12 offering education in Ayurveda.

India had 593 Ayurveda colleges as of March 13, 2026, along with 45,245 undergraduate seats and 5,673 postgraduate seats, according to the factsheet. The number of Ayurveda educational institutions, including both government and private colleges, has continued to expand.

The government has also taken steps to improve access to insurance coverage for Ayush treatment.

In February 2026, the All-India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) signed a Common Empanelment Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the General Insurance Council (GIC), enabling its empanelment with all 32 general insurance companies in India.

The agreement marked the first universal empanelment arrangement involving an Ayush institution for cashless treatment, the factsheet said.

AIIA has also launched a dedicated Ayush Health Insurance Helpline to assist beneficiaries with insurance-related queries and improve awareness about available Ayush coverage.

Research and development in the sector is being supported through the AYURGYAN scheme of the Ministry of Ayush, which provides financial assistance for R&D initiatives.

Of the total research funding pool of Rs 17.79 crore allocated across 34 projects, Ayurveda accounts for Rs 9.38 crore across 17 dedicated projects, representing around half of the overall portfolio.

The initiatives reflect the government's ongoing efforts to expand Ayush infrastructure, strengthen its integration with public healthcare services and support education, research and access to treatment under traditional systems of medicine.