The Central Government will soon include comprehensive information on Siddha formulations in the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) and will initiate measures to popularize Siddha medicines, according to Dr. R Anbumani, union minister for Health and Family Welfare.

Inaugurating the third national conference on Siddha organized by the
Tamilnadu Siddha Graduates Association in Chennai, the minister said various efforts would be undertaken in the country and abroad to promote Siddha stream of medicine, which is unique to Tamilnadu, as part of the strategy to promote Siddha and other ISM medicines. The Government would include detailed information on Siddha formulations in the TKDL with a view to safeguard the interests of this many century old stream of medicine.

Revamping the Siddha wing of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences
(AIIMS) and to promote research projects in Siddha related to development of drugs for dreaded diseases like AIDS, diabetics and tuberculosis were in the pipeline, said Dr. Anbumani.

He said the government would consider increasing the funds allocated for
Siddha from the Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha. Further the government would offer liberal incentives like 30 to 50 per cent subsidy for non-governmental organizations and interested entrepreneurs to set up medicinal plant gardens and to undertake herbal cultivation.

He noted that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is setting up a Rs
47-crore National Institute of Siddha (NIS) near Thambaram in
Chennai, as part of the efforts to promote research and treatment in Siddha in tune with global standards. Slated for commissioning within a few months, the NIS would have an advanced treatment centre with 120 beds, besides offering five postgraduate programmes in Siddha medical education, said the minister.

C N Deivanayagam, president of the Health India Foundation, G Veluswamy, director, Central Research Institute in Siddha, T Velayudham, secretary of the Tamilnadu Siddha Graduates Association, P Jayaprakash Narayanan, former vice principal of the Government Siddha College, Chennai etc. spoke on the occasion.

Over 1000 Siddha practitioners attended the conference from different parts of the country and an exhibition was also organized to popularize Siddha medicines as part of the conference.