Vice President Dhankar to inaugurate 5th edition of Global Ayurveda Festival in Kerala from Dec 1-5

The fifth edition of the Global Ayurveda Festival (GAF) 2023 would be held in the state capital of Kerala from December 1-5 and would be inaugurated by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

The largest ever conclave on Ayurveda, GAF 2023 will witness the gathering of international practitioners of this alternative medicine, researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders to explore its impact in healthcare.

Giving details of the biennial event, Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan said at a press conference here that this year's theme would be -- 'Emerging Challenges in Healthcare and a Resurgent Ayurveda'.

He said that GAF 2023 seeks to ''invigorate efforts to harness Ayurveda's transformative potential in addressing the pressing health concerns of our contemporary world''.

The conclave would be held at the Greenfield International Stadium here and will be attended by Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Union Ayush Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Animal Husbandry Parshottam Rupala and President of the Republic of Mauritius Prithvirajsing Roopun, among others, Muraleedharan said.

Delegations from over 70 countries will be present at the event, which underlines the growing recognition of Ayurveda's relevance in addressing global health concerns, the minister said.

Sisira Jayakody, Minister of State for Indigenous Medicine of Sri Lanka, will also be a part of the conclave, Muraleedharan said.

The highlights of the festival include experts-led scientific sessions focusing on the latest scientific advancements in Ayurveda, high level industry and institutional participation showcasing innovative Ayurveda-based products, services and research initiatives as well as presentations of posters and papers, a government release said.

''The event will serve as a strong platform to forge connections with the global Ayurveda community, fostering collaborations and knowledge exchange,'' it added.

It also said that the National Arogya Fair at GAF will showcase a diverse range of medicinal plants and their utilisation in Ayurvedic preparations. All major Ayush institutions in the country will put up their stalls at the expo and there will be pavilions of 20 Ayurveda colleges, it added.

GAF 2023 will also see India's first dedicated Business-to-Business (B2B) meet on Ayurveda medical tourism, connecting healthcare pioneers with worldwide buyers and showcasing the country's wealth of Ayurvedic healthcare resources, the release said.

A free medical camp, with 25 specialty clinics, outpatient services of top Ayurveda physicians on all five days at the venue, free distribution of medicines worth Rs 15 lakh and a spacious 'Ayurveda Aahar' food court serving a wide variety of healthy food are the other attractions of GAF 2023, according to the release.