Why is it in the news?

• Recently SMART 2.0 (Scope for Mainstreaming Ayurveda Research among Teaching Professionals) program has been jointly launched by the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) and the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM).

 More about the news

• Aims to promote robust clinical studies in priority areas of Ayurveda through collaboration with academic institutions and hospitals.
• Seeks to generate tangible evidence demonstrating the efficacy and safety of Ayurveda interventions for translation into public healthcare.
• Focuses on safety, tolerability, and adherence to Ayurveda formulations in priority research areas like malnutrition, insufficient lactation, abnormal uterine bleeding, etc.
• Under SMART 1.0, around 10 diseases were covered, involving active participation from teaching professionals across 38 colleges.

CCRAS (Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences)

• Apex organization operating under the Ministry of Ayush.
• Dedicated to formulating, coordinating, developing, and promoting research on scientific lines in Ayurveda.

NCISM (National Commission for Indian System of Medicine)

• Statutory body constituted under the NCISM Act, 2020.
• Aims to enhance access to quality and affordable Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, and Sowa-Rigpa (AUS&SR) medical education.
• Strives to ensure the availability of proficient AUS&SR medical professionals nationwide.
• Promotes equitable and universal healthcare with a community health perspective.
• Encourages the adoption of the latest medical research in AUS&SR.
• Maintains a national AUS&SR medical register.
• Enforces high ethical standards.
• Establishes an effective grievance redressal mechanism.