President Murmu Launches National Arogya Fair in Shegaon Boosting Yoga, AYUSH

President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the National Arogya Fair 2026 in Shegaon, Buldhana district, Maharashtra on 25 February 2026 and felicitated six senior Vaidya who have made important contributions to AYUSH healthcare, the President’s Secretariat reported. The opening drew state and central officials and set out a mix of public health outreach and rural livelihood aims.

The Ministry of AYUSH is listed as organiser. Official material from the President’s Secretariat names the venue as the Visawa Bhaktanivas Complex while other reports identify the site as Visava Maidan of Sant Gajanan Maharaj Sansthan; similarly, the collaborating Ayurvedic body appears in different accounts as the All India Ayurveda Mahasammelan and the All India Ayurvedic Congress. PIB’s release provides the formal inauguration record and the felicitation line, but the competing venue and collaborator names remain unresolved in available coverage.

Dignitaries on the dais included Maharashtra Governor Acharya Devvrat, Union Minister Prataprao Jadhav (reports vary on the exact ministerial designation), Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Khadse, state Labour Minister Adv. Akash Fundkar and district guardian minister Makarand Jadhav Patil, with ANI credited for photographs circulated from the event. Sources said several other senior state officials and dignitaries were present.

Murmu used the platform to underline Yoga and traditional medicine as foundations for public health. The Hindu quoted her: “The mantra for a balanced and healthy life, which harmonises the mind and body, is found in Yoga and Ayurveda.” The same report recorded her line, “‘Arogya Param Sukham’ (Health is the ultimate wealth) is the enduring teaching of our culture,” and her assertion that “The body is an instrument to fulfil all duties. To build a strong nation, the lives of its citizens must be healthy.” The President’s Secretariat also quoted her: “In our tradition, overall health is considered the greatest happiness” and “Healthy citizens play an important role in strengthening the country.” An accompanying statement highlighted, “Ayush systems of medicine have made an invaluable contribution to citizens health” and noted that “Systems like Yoga, Ayurveda, and Siddha have been serving people since the dawn of modern medicine.” The inauguration coverage also records that she “stressed evidence-based research, standardization, and quality control to enhance global acceptance of AYUSH.”

Programmatic details reported at the fair included free health check-ups, medical consultations and distribution of medicines across AYUSH systems. GKToday and event summaries listed participating systems as Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Homoeopathy and described live therapy counters, yoga demonstrations, expert lectures and interactive sessions focused on preventive and promotive healthcare. The event was presented as open to public participation, with invitations extended to farmers, self-help groups, students and health volunteers from Maharashtra and neighbouring states.

Organisers framed twin objectives: immediate health outreach through free services and a longer-term push to boost farmer incomes via medicinal-plant cultivation. PIB and The Hindu noted institutional steps such as establishment of All India Ayurveda Institutes, AYUSH dispensaries and drug testing laboratories, while The Hindu quoted the President urging that conservation of medicinal plants “must transcend the boundaries of government schemes and evolve into a full-fledged people’s movement.”

PIB’s release named the felicitation of six senior Vaidya but did not list their names in the excerpted material. Reporting also differed on venue spelling and the identity of the collaborating Ayurvedic body, and accounts vary on Prataprao Jadhav’s exact portfolio; those specifics remain to be confirmed from the Ministry of AYUSH event brief and the full presidential speech transcript. The fair’s combination of free AYUSH services and a push for medicinal-crop livelihoods is likely to shape local access to traditional health systems in Buldhana and neighbouring districts.