Jammu: A first-ever three-day international conference on traditional medicine and phytopharmaceuticals commenced here on Friday with over 700 dignitaries, including 100 speakers from 20 countries in attendance, officials said.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh inaugurated the conference, which is being held in conjunction with 11th International Congress of the Society for Ethnopharmacology, at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research–Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR–IIIM), Jammu.
The Conference is organised by CSIR-IIIM, in collaboration with the Society of Ethnopharmacology (SFE), Kolkata on the theme “Ethnopharmacology in Development of Phytopharmaceutical Drugs”, the officials said.
Delivering the inaugural address, the minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office said CSIR-IIIM Jammu assumes a historical significance in light of its services to the society and the pioneering research being conducted in this unique geography by the institute since last more than seven decades.
“The institute has expanded its mandate and outreach with very successful implementation of various mission programmes like CSIR Phyto-pharma, CSIR Aroma and CSIR Floriculture and various other ambitious projects to leverage the plant based pharmaceuticals in drug development,” he said.
The minister said the institute is also pursuing a concerted research on cannabis to exploit its potential in drug development.
“It is for the first time since independence that J&K’s unexplored resources like aroma and lithium are being tapped to boost India’s economy. It is evidenced in the Aroma Mission and Purple Revolution, which were born in J&K, with the cultivation of lavender in the townships of Bhaderwah in Doda and Gulmarg in Kashmir,” he said.
He said bio Himalayan resources like these will add hugely to the country’s economy in the next two decades.
Asserting that India is no more a country to be led by others, rather it is a nation which has taken the mantle to lead the world, Singh said India has made a name for itself the world over, with its success stories in the form of the indigenously developed Covid vaccine and much-talked about Chandrayaan Mission.
“Prime Minister Modi is India’s brand ambassador who has popularised Yoga, millets and traditional Indian remedies across the world,” he said, adding India has earned itself recognition as a propagator and a brand ambassador, with its traditional medicines and practices like Yoga becoming a panacea.
The Union minister said that at the G20 Summit held in India last year, PM Modi proposed establishing a Global bio alliance to promote collaboration and sharing of best practices among the nations.
“India has shed the tag of a fragile economy, and has now emerged as a fertile economy,” he said, adding that it is on its course to become the third largest economy in the world.
Calling for collaboration among the emerging agri-start-ups and the industry, Singh said now is the time for greater integration. The era of silos is over.
“The government has created an enabling ecosystem which must be optimised,” he suggested.
Complimenting the organisers of the conference, Director General CSIR Dr N Kalaiselvi said the present day need in health care systems and drug formulations demand an integrated approach wherein the manufacturing of the drugs should be in integration with utilisation of the natural sources of drug molecules derived from plants.
She emphasised that the conduct of the conference assumes much interest in light of the increased global alignment for the use of phytopharmaceuticals.
Earlier, Director CSIR-IIIM, Jammu Dr Zabeer Ahmed said the institute has been spearheading the scientific study, validation, and legalisation of phytopharmaceuticals and organising a conference on the futuristic theme and Ethnopharmacology for Development of Phytopharmaceutical Drugs and represents collective aspiration to push the boundaries of knowledge and innovation in the realm of research on traditional methods of healthcare and drug development from phytopharmaceuticals.
“We reaffirm our determination to take a giant leap forward in our pursuit of transformative breakthroughs that will define the future of healthcare,” he said.
He said more than 100 speakers from 20 different countries including the USA, United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Ghana and India would be delivering their talks during the conference.
