Dr Arun Chandan is Regional Director of Regional cum Facilitation Centre Northern Region (RCFCNR-I) for North Indian States(7 States) of National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry AYUSH, Govt of India, at Research Institute in Indian Systems of Medicine (RIISM) Joginder Nagar District Mandi HP. He is an enthusiastic dedicated and qualified Medico-Specialist in Ayurvedic Medicine & Surgery, Medicinal Plants and is successfully working on various aspects research and development issues of Supply Chain Management of Medicinal Plants Sector in India. He is working on regulatory affairs of AYUSH systems, product development, product validation and AYUSH AHAR ( Food and Pharmaceuticals through herbs) are areas of concern. Crafting model for organic cultivation of medicinal herbs, traceability and innovating Ayurvedic pharmaceutical ingredients(API) value adding them at source ensuring livelihood of people.
Dr Chandan had worked on convergence models in health, Traditional Medicine and Sustainable livelihoods and related services in Government and development sectors in India. He has networked more than 6000 stakeholders of value chain of Medicinal Plants Sector. He has created entrepreneurship model of livelihood generation through the sustainable utilization of medicinal plants diversity and bio-resources ensuring end to end solutions.
He had been the Executive Director of MFH (2009-2012) and Head of Programmes at Voluntary Health Association of India(VHAI). While in Government he remained Secretary to a High Power Committee Constituted for the Maintenance and Management of Religious Institutions for a period of three years. Prior to joining Government of Himachal Pradesh, he worked (1990-2000) as Secretary-cum-Director of Society for Environmental and Rural Awakening (ERA) based in Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh. During this a decade long tenure he had accomplished projects on Environment, Natural Resources Management, Health, Traditional Medicine, Biodiversity Conservation and Integrated Rural Development activities in Changar area. He has successfully undertook a status report of natural resources of Himachal Pradesh for NORAD. His creative experiments with new ICTs like Traditional Folk Stream Bhagat for mass awareness, proved very effective. He has keen interest on biodiversity conservation and management with special focus on local knowledge, eco-systems, agro and medicinal aspects of biodiversity. His interest in the indigenous knowledge systems and traditional medicine, his vision of Lok-Ayurveda-village wisdom true Ayurveda has motivated him to conduct a number of activities to document, validate traditional knowledge and protect intellectual property rights and product development.
Since his childhood he remained active in print journalism, contributed lot of articles in regional and national dailies and magazines, his action research oriented approach and pain for the downtrodden and dalits took him to the development sector. His work on Traditional medicine, disaster Mitigation and Management motivated him to work on the crucial aspect of disaster management and climate change in mountains.
Tel: 7018001026, 9418010624
E-mail: arun.chandan@gov.in, arun.chandan@gov.in
achandan@hotmail.com
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