TNI Bureau: BJD Rajya Sabha MP Dr. Sasmit Patra has urged the Centre to establish Eastern India’s first All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha, highlighting the region’s rich biodiversity, medicinal plant resources and potential to become a major hub for Ayurveda education, healthcare and research.

Dr. Patra met Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH, Prataprao Jadhav, and submitted a detailed proposal seeking the establishment of the premier national institution in Mayurbhanj.

In his representation, the BJD MP pointed out that Odisha currently does not have a national-level Ayurveda institution comparable to the All India Institute of Ayurveda in Delhi and Goa, the National Institute of Ayurveda in Jaipur, or the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda in Jamnagar.

He said an AIIA in Mayurbhanj would fill a major institutional gap in Eastern India and serve people across Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar and neighbouring states. The institute would promote advanced healthcare, academic excellence, research, innovation and community outreach in the field of Ayurveda.

Sasmit highlighted Mayurbhanj’s unique advantages, including the presence of the Similipal Biosphere Reserve, one of India’s richest biodiversity zones, and its vast medicinal plant wealth, which could support cutting-edge Ayurveda research and conservation efforts.

He also noted that while Odisha has the Central Ayurveda Research Institute (CARI) in Bhubaneswar, its role is primarily research-oriented and differs from the broader educational, healthcare and institutional functions of an AIIA.

Speaking after the meeting, Sasmit Patra said Eastern India deserves a premier Ayurveda institution and that Mayurbhanj offers the ideal combination of biodiversity, strategic location and developmental potential to host such a centre.

The proposed institute would function under the Ministry of AYUSH and provide facilities for healthcare delivery, undergraduate and postgraduate education, doctoral research, medicinal plant sciences and capacity building. Dr. Patra expressed hope that the Centre would give due consideration to the proposal in the interest of regional development, healthcare accessibility and the promotion of India’s traditional knowledge systems.