BHUBANESWAR: With International Yoga Day bringing the traditional Indian science of health and well-being to the forefront, the State Government is beginning to show urgency for regulation and standardisation of the sector.
The Government is soon going to promulgate a legislation laying down the rules for standardisation, accreditation, registration as well as quality in yoga and naturopathy. A draft Bill, ‘The Odisha Yoga and Naturopathic System of Medicine Bill’, is under consideration of the Cabinet and will be placed in the Assembly for legislation.
The Bill proposes to set up an exclusive Council for Yoga and Naturopathy on the lines of Homeopathy and Ayurveda to regulate teaching and practice as well as provide a regulatory framework for different aspects of the system. It will act as a registration and accreditation body while laying down the contours and curriculum for yoga institutions in the State.
Recent developments like the record-breaking success of Yoga Day across the globe have reignited popularity of the ancient system among the people, paving way for mushrooming of yoga training institutions and teachers. Thus, there should be a system and guidelines to ensure standardised training along with quality of the practitioners and instructors, Director AYUSH Basudev Bahinipati said.
“The objective is to put in place a structured system and prevent proliferation of unqualified elements in the field. Many other States already have implemented regulatory systems for yoga and the Union AYUSH Ministry has also set up a task force for preparing guidelines. The Central guidelines will also come handy for us,” Bahinipati said.
Meanwhile, the Ayush Directorate has decided to set up a Yoga Wellness Centre at Kalinga Stadium here. The centre would offer yoga training and facilities for practice. It will allow people to practise yoga on a regular basis at their convenience under guidance of expert teachers.
The Sports Directorate has been moved to allocate the space for the centre where yoga would be performed and taught to the people every morning.