104 foreign students offered AYUSH scholarships this year: Govt tells Rajya Sabha

NEW DELHI: One hundred and four foreign students received scholarships to study undergraduate (UG), postgraduate (PG) and PhD programmes in AYUSH institutes this academic year 2023-24, the minister of AYUSH Sarbananda Sonowal informed the Rajya Sabha.

The minister was answering whether the Government has allocated seats to foreign students to study AYUSH courses. AYUSH Fellowship Scheme for Foreign Students is offered under the Central Sector for Promotion of International Cooperation in AYUSH.

The scholarships are implemented through the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR). Students who wish to study the ancient healthcare practices of India are required to submit an online application through the AYUSH official website along with the documents to prove their eligibility.

“Applications are collected through the Indian Diplomatic Missions in the said 98 countries who scrutinize and forward them to ICCR for selection and placement,” the official website read.

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Scholarships for foreign students were given from the academic year 2016. As per the data shared by the minister, 104 international students got scholarships in the last three years.

Under the scheme, 50 scholarship seats allotted to all 98 countries for pursuing UG and PG in Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy and also for BSc in Yoga and PhD in Ayurveda.

20 seats are reserved for candidates from Malaysia for pursuing UG in Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy and another 29 seats are seats are reserved for WHO South-East Asia Region (SEAR) countries in National Institutes for UG in Ayurveda and Homoeopathy, PG and PhD courses. 5 seats are reserved for candidates from African countries for studying UG courses. However, if the seats remain vacant, applicants from other countries will be considered, the official website read.