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Charaka Samhita to using dung as biofertiliser: 11 topics picked for govt funds
The division invited research proposals in February under nine broad areas, including architectural engineering, chemical science, and sustainable agriculture
Ayurvedic formulations to treat urinary tract infections among cattle; solutions from the Charaka Samhita in treating bovine mastitis (an inflammatory disease among cows); the use of Vedic architecture to create a healthy indoor environment; and development of quality biofertiliser from cow dung — these are among 11 research proposals selected for government funding by the Union ministry of education’s Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) division in the latest round of its “Bhartiya Gyan Samwardhan Yojana” or outcome-based research proposals programme.
The division invited research proposals in February under nine broad areas, including architectural engineering, chemical science, and sustainable agriculture. The chosen research projects will receive up to ₹20 lakh over two years. This is the fourth round of approvals. So far, since 2021-22, the division has cleared around 75 research proposals. For the first time in February, IKS invited proposals under the head “Pashu Ayurveda (ancient veterinary medicine)-based approach”.
Ganti S Murthy, national coordinator, IKS division, and a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Indoresaid that this is not only important in the Indian context but also has relevance globally. “There is an ongoing discourse on antibiotic resistance globally. One of the major reasons behind it is the increase in use of antibiotics in the world. Interestingly, more than 70% of the antibiotics used in the world are for animals. They are used in poultry farming, dairy, and meat industry. This is causing antibiotic resistance organisms to emerge.”
“Pashu Ayurveda is a branch of Ayurveda which deals with animals, and a lot of traditional knowledge and scriptural knowledge exists in India on how to treat common diseases among animals without using antibiotics. The idea is to find solutions to minimise the use of antibiotics among animals,” Murthy said.
The two research proposals selected under this respective category will find solutions for urinary tract infections among cattle and bovine mastitis, which causes inflammation of mammary glands of cows and reduces milk production.
Explaining his project, Shanker Shyam Sundhar Panchapakesan, senior assistant professor at SASTRA University, said that certain herbs including moringa can help cure bovine mastitis instead of antibiotics. Citing an IIT-Roorkee study from 2020 that showed that bovine mastitis was the major cause of revenue loss among farmers and leads up to 70% loss in milk production, he said the idea is to treat the disease using solutions from Charaka Samhita, a comprehensive text on ancient Indian medicine — authored by Charaka, one of the early experts in Ayurveda — that dates back to between 100 and 200 BCE.
“In this project, we propose to study the molecular effects of Krimighna Ghana (the ancient text’s term for germ killing plant matter) as described in Charaka Samhita on microorganisms that cause mastitis in cattle; to formulate a treatment regime using rat models ; and to field test the formulation in cattle. This study aims to establish reduction of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria and antibiotic residues in milk and to establish scientific mode of action on Pashu Ayurveda products,” he added.
Under the sustainable agriculture category, three projects, including development of quality biofertiliser using cow dung, and traditional farming practices for sustainable millet production, have been selected. “Researchers will study varieties of cow dung biofertilisers, including that from indigenous cows and hybrid cows, under this project. They will be looking at two breeds of cows from Gujarat, Gir and Kankrej, and will compare the microbiome (microbial profile) in their biofertiliser. The researchers will also study food habits of different cows,” Murthy said.
“Another project will focus on traditional farming practices in millet production in Arunachal Pradesh. Since we are celebrating the international year of millets, it is important we focus on such projects,” he added.
At India’s instance, the UN declared 2023 as the international year of millets, and India has since embarked on a mission to popularise the coarse grains that are both rich in micronutrients as well as hardy.
In the architectural engineering category, two projects were selected, including “application of Vedic architecture in creating a healthy indoor environment” with Varanasi and construction techniques used in the famous Mahakal Temple in Ujjain being the case studies.
Some of the other approved projects are: Investigating and manufacturing of iron beams used in Konark Sun Temple; Folkfare and legends of central Kerala Devi temples; and understanding Sampradaya and Sampradayik knowledge in the Vallabhacharya and Chaitanya Vaishnava traditions.
The outcome of these research projects will be published in peer-reviewed journals. “We are very particular about the quality of proposals and the research carried out under the project. We are also conducting research proposal writing workshops for IKS division. This time, we received 350 relevant proposals and we just selected 11 out of them for the research funding even though we could have funded up to 30 projects. For us, quality is most important,” Murthy added.
