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`Develop health tourism to create more jobs'

By Our Staff Reporter

MAHE, SEPT. 20. The Lt. Governor of Pondicherry, M.M. Lakhera, has said that Ayurveda offers a good opportunity for developing health tourism here and in the Union Territory of Pondicherry and that it would create more job opportunities.

Inaugurating the Government Ayurveda Hospital here today, Lt. Gen. (retd.) Lakhera, said that Ayurveda and the rich natural beauty of this region could be utilised for developing health tourism in a big way. Individuals and society would have to pool their resources to make use of this opportunity to create more jobs for unemployed youth, he said. He however, emphasised the need for checks and balances to ensure that the native culture and way of life were not affected by tourism. If Kerala could develop health tourism, Mahe could also benefit from Ayurveda, he added.

"The Pondicherry Government will do all it can to help. Although the people of Mahe may be away from Pondicherry, they are not away from our thoughts," he said.

Underlining the importance of Ayurveda, the Lt. Governor lamented the tendency of Indians to disown their heritage. "We have found Ayurveda because the West has found it as an alternative medicine. We tend to forget our own heritage," he said. Each ritual and tradition in our culture had a scientific meaning, he said, adding that it was up to individuals to choose a system of medicine. They could choose whether they wanted a system that would give instant relief or a system that would cure diseases permanently, he said.

Assuring that the Pondicherry Government would take every one along in its efforts to implement developmental projects, the Lt. Governor also advised political parties and organisations against adopting the path of agitation in pressing their demands. "Don't go on the warpath. As a soldier, I can say that war only hardens minds. Only dialogue leads to solutions," Lt. Gen. Lakhera said.

The Pondicherry Health Minister, E. Valsaraj, presided over the function.

The Education Minister of Pondicherry, K. Lakshminarayanan, the Palloor MLA and Chief Minister's Parliamentary secretary, A.V. Sreedharan, the Chief Secretary of Pondicherry, C.S. Khairwal, the Health Secretary, A.K. Chaturvedi, the Director of Indian Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy, H. Ranganath, and the secretary to the Lt. Governor, Chetan B. Sanghi, also spoke on the occasion.

The Lt. Governor of Pondicherry later laid the foundation stones for the Administrative Block and a new classroom of Pandakkal Higher Secondary School and for the Indoor Stadium at Manjakkal.

He also attended a civic reception and addressed a meeting of prominent citizens and school children here.

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