New Indian Medicine Act will affect 10,000 Yoga Doctors in Rajasthan

Criticising the Raje government's new act on registration of naturopathy and Yoga doctors, the Yog and Prakratik Chiktsak Sangh (YPCS) today alleged that the new provision would adversely affect the 10,000 yoga doctors in the state, rendering them jobless. 

YPCS President Dr.Trilok Sharma said that the Rajasthan Indian Medicine (Amendment) Bill, 2015 passed by voice vote in the House recently, would be disastrous for the 10,000 practitioners in the state. 

The bill was passed amid Opposition's uproar without any debate in the House, he said. 

The BJP government, in its amendment to the Rajasthan Indian Medicine Rules, 1953 and 1956 act, has made a condition to provide registration to Naturopathy and Yoga Chikitsak who have passed Bachelor of Naturopathy and Yoga Sciences (BNYS) degree from a university established by law in India with five or more than five years' regular course. 

However, YPCS secretary, Dilip Saran noted that there are no certified universities providing Bachelor degree in Naturopathy and Yoga Sciences in the state and thus the legislation can be detrimental for the career of the current practitioners. 

"There is no authorised institute or university in Rajasthan that offer a five year or five-and-half years degree course in either Naturopathy, Yoga, Unani, or Homoeopathy," he said. 

"Most of the 10,000 practitioners in the state are either Diploma holders in any of these subjects or area, or having three-and-half years degree course but practising for 3 to 4 decades," he added. 

As per the Sangh, an Ayurvedic University was started in Jodhpur that offer a five and half year degree course, but its first batch of 300 students would be out only in the year 2017. 

The organisation claimed that no provision has been made for the existing diploma holders of Naturopathy and Yoga Chikitsak in the new bill. 

The Diploma holders will not be given registration under the new act, and they would be jobless if practitioners of other states get migrated to Rajasthan, Sharma said. 

Further attacking the state government, he said that Raje brought the new provisions to benefit en mass the degree holders of Karnataka as the act was formulated on the diktat of "Yoga Mafia". 

"We have given a memorandum to the Governor Kalayan Singh's office demanding further suitable amendment or reject the bill by not signing it," the duo said. 

The organisation also threatened to go for a Dharna if their demands are not met.