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Patna, Apr 27 (UNI) Senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Murli Manohar Joshi today stressed the need for 'Research and Development' for promoting Ayurveda in India and abroad.

Addressing the All India meeting of Ayurvedacharya here, Dr Joshi said more research should be done to find treatment of different diseases afflicting the humankind.

He also called upon private companies associated with marketing of Ayurvedic product to focus on research to find new low cost preparations for treatment of disease which would be beneficial for the people.

''Ayurveda was the first to find treatment for Syphilis,'' said the former minister. He expected that Ayurveda would be able to invent drugs for AIDS too adding "all these diseases were brought here by infected foreigners coming to India".

''If people follow the Ahar-Vihar as suggested by Ayurveda they can lead a healthy life,'' he noted.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar assured all assistance by the state government to promote Ayurveda and exhorted the Ayurveda students to work hard to gain professional edge. He said the Government Ayurvedic Medical College was one of the best institutions in the country but its academic level had deteriorated for want of infrastructral facilities.He promised more financial assistance to the institution for developing its infrastructure adding some assistance had already been provided in this regard.

Mr Kumar said Ayurveda was the main arena of treatment to be adopted by the people in India but during the last few decades they moved towards allopathic treatment expecting fast results.

He exhorted the farmers to go for production of Ayurvedic plants.

Earlier, several prominent Ayurvedacharyas were felicitated by Dr Joshi and Mr Kumar.

UNI XC-RS PL RN 1737