The Chief Minister's Office of Chhattisgarh announced on Wednesday, 24 June 2026, that Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai met Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah at Kartavya Bhavan, New Delhi, and formally requested the establishment of an All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) in the state. Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma accompanied the Chief Minister during the meeting.

Context

The Chief Minister's Office shared that CM Sai placed before the Union Minister a specific appeal — 'छत्तीसगढ़ में अखिल भारतीय आयुर्वेद संस्थान (AIIA) की स्थापना का आग्रह' ('a request for the establishment of the All India Institute of Ayurveda in Chhattisgarh'). The meeting at Kartavya Bhavan, the official ministerial complex in New Delhi, signals the state government's intent to pursue the proposal at the highest level of the Union executive. Deputy CM Vijay Sharma's presence underlined the political weight the BJP-led Chhattisgarh government is attaching to the demand.

Policy Backdrop

The All India Institute of Ayurveda is the national apex institution for Ayurvedic education, research, and healthcare, currently headquartered in New Delhi and functioning under the Ministry of AYUSH. The Ministry of AYUSH, created in 2014, has consistently worked to expand the footprint of traditional medicine systems across India. The National AYUSH Mission, also launched in 2014, has supported state-level infrastructure including Ayurveda colleges, hospitals, and research centres — making a state-based AIIA campus a logical next step in that trajectory.

Chhattisgarh, a central Indian state with a significant tribal population, has historically relied on traditional medicine practices. Hosting a national-level AYUSH institution would align with the broader post-2014 policy direction of decentralising premier institutes rather than concentrating them in the national capital.

Stakeholders and Impact

If the proposal advances, the primary beneficiaries would be residents of Chhattisgarh — particularly its large rural and tribal communities — who would gain access to specialised Ayurvedic healthcare closer to home. AYUSH practitioners and Ayurveda researchers across the state would also benefit from a dedicated research and training hub. The proposal could additionally generate employment in healthcare, academia, and allied sectors within the state.

State governments routinely approach the Union government for new central institutes to strengthen regional healthcare capacity, and this request follows a well-established pattern of advocacy by state administrations for premier institutions under central funding.

What's Next

The immediate next step would be follow-up discussions between the Chhattisgarh government and the Ministry of AYUSH on site selection, funding allocation, and a timeline for any proposed AIIA facility. Since Amit Shah's portfolio covers Home and Cooperation rather than AYUSH directly, Wednesday's meeting is likely the beginning of a multi-ministerial dialogue. The state will need formal engagement with the AYUSH ministry before any institutional decision can be announced. Progress on this proposal will be a key indicator of how the Centre responds to state-level demands for AYUSH infrastructure expansion in the coming months.