Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday announced the government’s proposal to set up three new All India Institutes of Ayurveda as part of the Union Budget 2026–27, aimed at strengthening research, education and healthcare delivery in the traditional medicine sector.
Presenting the Budget in Parliament, Sitharaman said the new institutes will help expand institutional capacity for Ayurveda and promote advanced research while improving access to quality healthcare across the country.
In a parallel push to strengthen the healthcare workforce, the Finance Minister also announced plans to introduce 10 new allied health disciplines. These will include optometry, anaesthesia, applied psychology and behavioural health, among others.
As part of this initiative, the Centre has set a target to train one lakh allied health professionals over the next five years, Sitharaman said, underscoring the government’s focus on building a skilled and future-ready healthcare workforce.
