New Delhi, March 27 (IANS) An institute for ayurveda and homoeopathy will be set up in Meghalaya capital Shillong. The union cabinet approved the scheme Thursday. The North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda and Homeopathy will be an autonomous organisation under the department of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH). It will be built at a cost of Rs.675 million.

Out of a total of 225 ayurveda colleges and 181 homeopathy centres in the country, the northeast has only four - there homeopathy colleges in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh and one ayurveda college in Assam.

Despite considerable demand for ayurveda and homeopathy in the northeast, there are no teaching institutes for these subjects in the other states of the region.

The establishment of the institute is also expected to improve research and development of bio-resources in the northeast.