C.P. Radhakrishnan, Vice-President, at the inauguration of the 9th Siddha Day in Chennai on Saturday, January 4, 2026.
| Photo Credit: S.R. RAGHUNATHAN
Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan on Saturday urged students of Siddha to take up research and make it their lifetime ambition to find a permanent cure for incurable diseases.
He was taking part in the 9th Siddha Day celebrations organised by the National Institute of Siddha (NIS), Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India in association with the Central Council for Research in Siddha (CCRS) on the theme of “Siddha for Global Health”. Mr. Radhakrishnan said he has asked the Central government to encourage research and to provide financial help for research scholars.
“Our traditional systems – Siddha, Ayurveda, Unani, Yoga and others under the AYUSH umbrella – are not merely relics of history but living traditions that continue to contribute to the well-being of millions of people in India and across the world,” he said. He appreciated the efforts taken by CCRS to collect rare Siddha manuscripts across India, and emphasised the importance of documentation, according to a press release.
Prataprao Jadhav, Minister of State (independent charge), AYUSH, Health and Family Welfare, appealed to make Siddha medicine evidence-based, globally acknowledged and accessible to all.
Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said the State government has allotted Rs. 239 crore in the last five years for the development of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy. He said that an office is being constructed at Rs. two crore for a Siddha Medical University on the premises of Arignar Anna Government Hospital of Indian Medicine and a 25 acre land was identified at Madhavaram Milk Colony for the institution. “The Bill has been sent to the Governor for the second time on October 17, and he has sent it to the President,” he added.
G. Senthilvel, Director, National Institute of Siddha, said that the Siddha Central Research Institute, a unit of CCRS, was functioning for more than 50 years on the premises of the Arignar Anna Hospital and the building has become old. As the land belonged to the Tamil Nadu government, he requested the Health Minister to transfer the land to CCRS to construct a new building. The Vice President said that he has also asked the Minister of State to write to the Chief Minister and Health Minister for the land transfer. Joint Secretary of AYUSH Monalisa Dash was present.
Published – January 04, 2026 12:45 am IST
