A University for Ayurveda is being planned to be set up in Thiruvananthapuram. The Kerala government is preparing a project report in this regard, which will be submitted to the centre shortly. Informed sources claim that the project report is almost ready but the details of the project cost and funding are to be decided.
The University, according to the sources, would be accorded a deemed university status. The Kerala government is looking for a suitable site for the university, according to the sources. The University will most probably come up somewhere near Kazhakootam near Thiruvananthapuram.
It is for the first time that the Kerala government is contemplating establishing a university solely for Ayurveda. At present, the Kerala government has an institution namely, the Government College of Ayurveda, in Thiruvananthapuram. This college is affiliated to the Kerala University. There are six other colleges, partly aided by the state government conducting degree and post graduate courses in Ayurveda. These colleges are respectively affiliated to the Mahatma Gandhi University, Kochi, and the University of Calicut.
The proposed University would conduct undergraduate and post graduate degree courses in Ayurveda. The University would also have tie-ups with institutions conducting research in Ayurveda or engaged in the Ayurvedic system. There is also likely to be close interaction with the various companies in the segment for ensuring harmony with the education and the industry requirement. However, it is not made clear whether the colleges currently conducting degree and post graduate courses affiliated to other universities in the state would be affiliated to the newly proposed University once the same is established.
The proposed university has been mooted with the aim of standardizing the courses in Ayurveda. The university from time to time will modify the courses keeping in tune with the changing scenes, according to the sources.