Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Chhangani said Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee gave him the assurance at a meeting in New Delhi recently.

A delegation, including Human Resource Development Minister Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, President of the All India Ayurvedic Congress Devendra Triguna, senior Vaidya Bruhaspatidev Triguna, CCIM President Pandit Shriramji Sharma, Vaid Shivkumar Mishra, Secretary of the All India Ayurvedic Congress Dr P P Kurup, Director of Baidyanath Aayurvedic Bhavan Gaurilal Chanana and Vice- Chancellor of the Gujarat Ayurved University Dr P N V Kurup, director of Baidyanath Bhavan Suresh Sharma and Anand Shrivastava of Maharshi Ayurveda were also at the meeting.

According to Chhangani, Vajpayee assured the delegation that from now on, thepotential of Ayurveda would be fully utilised for the betterment of the people. The government would also provide the necessary budget to improve the health facility in the country through Ayurveda.

The well-planned national health policy for Ayurveda would encourage the development of Ayurveda, said Chhangani. In 1983, the All India Ayurvedic Congress had advised the government to create a fixed policy of national health and Ayurveda, but till nothing had been done, he said.

As a result, Ayurveda graduates have been kept away from the National Health Programme.

Chhangani welcomed Vajpayee's suggestion to change the nomenclature of the Indian System of Medicine to Ayurveda.

Another welcome development of the meeting was that the budget for Ayurveda and other Indian systems would be raised to Rs 700 crore annually, he said, though the delegation had asked for Rs 1000 crore.

Suresh Sharma pointed out the non-availability of raw materials to Ayurvedic pharmaceuticals because of excessive export andsmuggling. Vajpayee agreed to provide proper fund and land for the cultivation of Indian medicinal plants. Around 500 acres of prime land has already been marked by the government for the purpose, he said.

According to Chhangani the Prime Minister agreed to establish an All India Ayurved Institute at Delhi with 500 beds capacity along with full-fledged facilities as Ayurveda is now becoming universally popular. A number of patients are coming from abroad for treatment. The big pharmaceutical companies need to co-operate the government in this regard, felt the PM.

S L Ingole, principal Shri Ayurved Mahavidyalaya, J T Chotai, vice principal, Vedprakash Sharma, Govind Upadhyay, Harikrishan Chhangani, Lalchand Jsiswal, Ramkrishna Chhangani, N S Agrawal, Pawan Shelare, Mangaldas Arsekar and Haribhau Deshpande were also present at the press conference.