Nagpur: AYUSH Ministry will now have a permanent representative on the World Health Organisation (WHO), Union Minister of State Shripad Naik said.

He also informed that the institutes of Yoga and Naturopathy will come up in various parts of the country.

"Earlier, we had no representation in WHO despite having a post. Now, AYUSH has a permanent representative at the WHO. We have entered into MoU with 12 countries in WHO on faculty teaching, research and student exchange programme," said the minister on the sidelines of an event.

Addressing a function, he said the Institute of Yoga and naturopathy has already been set up in Jhajjar in Haryana while work on setting up a similar facility is underway at Nagamanglam (Tamil Nadu).

"Similarly, an institute of naturopathy is coming up at Pune at Rs 1000 crore. The National Institute of Medicinal plant will be set up in Vidarbha (Maharashtra)," he said.

Later, Naik told reporters that the AYUSH Mission is plan planning to set up hospitals, each having capacity of 50 beds, in all districts of the country.
"Ayurveda practitioners are already available at all Public Health Centres (PHCs). AYUSH Mission wants to reach out to all villages gradually," he said.

When asked about the political situation in his home state, the North Goa MP said the opposition was trying to defame and destabilise the state government, which is led by the BJP.

Responding to a query on two MLAs of Congress joining the ruling BJP in Goa recently, he said, "the opposition legislators are joining the BJP because they have realised that the Congress will never come back to power".

"This is the counter-challenge to the Congress which use various tactics to win over MLAs (of other parties)," he said.

Responding to a query on whether incumbent Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will be replaced on the ground of his health, Naik said the leadership has not yet taken a call on the issue.