BIS Holds PRAGATI 2026 on AYUSH Quality Standards

The AYUSH Department of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) held two national events on standardisation in Ayurveda, Yoga and Sowa-Rigpa, announced on 19 October 2026. Together they brought in more than 600 researchers, industry figures, academics and practitioners. BIS is the national standards body of India and works on standardisation and conformity assessment.

PRAGATI 2026 at Belagavi

The National Seminar on Standardization in Ayurveda and Yoga, named PRAGATI 2026, was held at Belagavi in Karnataka on 16 October 2026. BIS hosted it with the KLE Shri BMK Ayurveda Mahavidyalaya and the KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research, and 600 participants discussed how Indian Standards can strengthen the two sectors. Shrishti Dixit, Scientist-E and Head of the AYUSH department at BIS, spoke on the drafting of Indian Standards and on India's growing part in global standardisation through ISO. Speakers held that clear standards are necessary for quality assurance, patient safety, credible research and workable regulation. The seminar took up uniform terminology, education benchmarks and clinical guidelines; how BIS certification helps firms reach markets and win consumer trust; and an open house on the practical difficulties of adopting standards in teaching, research, manufacturing and clinical work.

Sowa-Rigpa session at Leh

BIS also held a brainstorming session alongside the 5th meeting of its Sowa-Rigpa Sectional Committee at the National Institute of Sowa-Rigpa in Leh, in the Union Territory of Ladakh. Padma Shri Dr Padma Gurmet, who chairs the Sowa-Rigpa Sectional Committee and founded the institute, took part along with researchers from the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences and the Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine. The talks covered testing parameters for single herbs, raw materials and finished formulations, along with drug safety, laboratory requirements and pharmacopoeial standards. A second theme was the protection of traditional knowledge through patents, trademarks and geographical indications.

Institutions behind the effort

• All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA)
• National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM)
• Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM)
• Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS)

Sowa-Rigpa is the traditional medical system of the Himalayan belt, which is why Leh was chosen for its sectional committee. BIS says it will keep engaging with industry and academia and has kept an online route open for fresh standardisation proposals.