The Government of Assam introduced the Assam Yoga Council Bill, 2018 in the State Assembly on Thursday.
The bill proposed the set up of a yoga council for regulating the teaching and practice of yoga. The proposed council aims at assuring quality service and avoid misinterpretation and misuse of the system.
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Parliamentary affairs minister Chandra Mohan Patowary introduced the bill on behalf of the Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) MLA Aminul Islam, opposing the bill, said the existing healthcare facilities in the state are in bad shape and focus should be to improve them instead of spending money on something new.
Congress MLA and former Minister Rakibul Hussain pointed out that Minister Sarma, who also holds the finance portfolio, has been absent in the house since the beginning of the Budget Session and requested the speaker to allow introduction of such bills when he is present.
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Speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami allowed tabling of the bill in spite of the opposition and requested the members to discuss the need of the council while deliberating the document at a later stage.
In his written statement on the bill, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “The council is proposed to be set up in order to assure quality of service and avoid misinterpretation and misuse of the system, besides ensuring yoga institutions to offer safe, reliable and quality medical healthcare.”
The council will regulate course curriculum of studies for registration by yoga practitioners and advise the state government as well as academic institutes in the matter of research on the subject, Sarma said in the statement.
The council will be empowered to grant affiliation and accreditation to institutions teaching yoga as well as withdraw the same, he said.
“The other objectives are “to confer registration on the institutionally qualified professional practitioners, to confer registration to other yoga practitioners fulfilling the terms and conditions laid down in the draft bill,” he added.