Source: The Hindu
KOTTAKKAL, INDIA, FEBRUARY 23, 2002: The government will soon open an ayurveda research center in Moscow as part of a package of programs being drawn up to preserve and promote ayurveda, the Union Minister for Human Resource Development and Science and Technology, Murli Manohar Joshi, said while inaugurating the centenary celebrations of Vaidyaratnam PS Varier Arya Vaidyasala. In his speech, Prof. Joshi expressed the hope that ayurvedic physicians would participate in such programs and hone their medical and computer skills to reap the benefits of the growing interest throughout the world in ayurveda. Dr. Joshi also said that learning of Sanskrit was central to practicing ayurveda and said he had set up a cell in his ministry to compile information of ayurvedic herbs which was necessary to safeguard their patents from being usurped by foreign drug companies. A compact disc had also been prepared by the National Chemical Laboratory in Pune to preserve traditional knowledge in modern electronic format. The minister called for efforts to exploit the growing global herbal market and wanted ayurvedic institutes to promote cultivation of medicinal plants in their neighborhood as a means of supplementing income of farmers.