DEPWD and Ministry of AYUSH Launch Rs. 5.26 Crore Integrative Rehabilitation Projects for PwDs.

In September 2025, the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPWD) under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) partnered with the Ministry of AYUSH to introduce integrative rehabilitation initiatives for persons with disabilities (PwDs). The projects were sanctioned during the 19th Governing Body Meeting of the National Fund for PwDs, chaired by Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary, DEPWD, in New Delhi.

      - A total of Rs. 5.26 crore has been sanctioned under the National Fund for PwDs for implementing rehabilitation projects that combine AYUSH therapies with modern interventions.

      - The initiatives will be carried out through four national institutes: NIEPID (Secunderabad, Telangana); SVNIRTAR (Odisha); AYJNISHD (Mumbai, Maharashtra); and PDUNIPPD (New Delhi).

      - At NIEPID, an AYUSH Centre for Research in Neurodiversity will be set up. At SVNIRTAR, studies will test Raktamrut Vati (Ayurvedic formulation) for managing blood disorders.

Main Point :-   (i) AYJNISHD will conduct Yoga-based studies on the mental and emotional well-being of hearing-impaired students and their families.

      (ii) PDUNIPPD will compare Panchakarma vs physiotherapy for knee osteoarthritis, evaluate herbal treatments vs insulin for diabetic adhesive capsulitis, and integrate Yoga with occupational therapy for older adults.

(iii) The collaboration is aligned with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) Act, 2016 and the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030), reinforcing India’s commitment to inclusive and integrative healthcare.
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