Cabinet approves establishment of the National Institute of Sowa Rigpa (NISR) at Leh

News:Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister has approved the establishment of the National Institute for Sowa-Rigpa in Leh.

Facts:

About the institute:

• The National Institute for Sowa-Rigpa will be an autonomous National Institute under Ministry of AYUSH.
• The objective of the institute is to bring a synergy between Traditional Wisdom of Sowa-Rigpa and modern science, tools and technology.
• It will also undertake interdisciplinary education and research programmes in Sowa-Rigpa in collaboration with premier national and international Institutes and facilitate the integration of different systems of medicine.

Significance of the institute:

• The setting up of the National Institute of Sowa-Rigpa would provide an impetus for the revival of Sowa-Rigpa in the Indian Sub-continent. 
• The Institute will also provide opportunities for students of Sowa-Rigpa not only in India but also from other countries.

Additional information:

About Sowa-rigpa:

• Sowa-Rigpa is a Traditional Medical system of the Himalayan belt in India. 
• It has been popularly practiced in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Darjeeling (West Bengal), Himachal Pradesh, Union Territory of Ladakh and now all over India.
• In 2015,Ministry of Ayush had also included Sowa Rigpa to the AYUSH system.

About AYUSH:

• AYUSH stands for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy.
• These systems are based on traditional medical philosophies and represent a way of healthy living with established concepts on prevention of diseases and promotion of health.