Rajesh Kotecha

Rajesh Kotecha (born 18 July 1963) is an Indian Ayurveda physician who received a Padmashri Award for Medicine in 2015.^[1] He is appointed as Special Secretary in the Ministry of AYUSH^[2], Government of India. He is the former Vice Chancellor of Gujarat Ayurveda University, Jamnagar^[3]. He founded Chakrapani Ayurveda Clinic & Research Center in Jaipur, India in 1998.

Kotecha started as an Ayurveda Physician and started practicing in Jaipur where he met the current Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi for the first time^[4]. Modi was a BJP General Secretary climbing the ladder himself^[5]. Since then, concerns about conflict of interest has also risen as Kotecha owns many private clinics and is on the board of many Ayurveda trust while holding the public office and taking policy decisions in the same field^[6].

Education

Rajesh Kotecha completed his Bachelor of Ayurveda Medicine & Surgery (BAMS) from Gujarat Ayurveda University, Jamnagar in 1985 and Doctor of Ayurveda Medicine (M.D. Ayurveda) from Gujarat Ayurveda University, Jamnagar in 1991.

Books

He is the author of two books Concept of Atattvabhinivesha In Ayurveda which discusses minor psychiatric disorders in Ayurveda parameters and A Beginner's Guide to Ayurveda which is about Ayurveda principles and day to day life practices to keep oneself healthy.

Awards

He received the Global Ayurveda Physician Award in 2007, Ayurveda Ratna Award in 2008 and Padmashri Award for Medicine in 2015. The Padmashri Award has since been disputed as an application filed by the RTI activist Shubash Chandra Agarwal revealed that the selection process for the highly honorable award was not followed^[7].

Achievements

He was vice chancellor of Gujarat Ayurveda University from July 2013-2016. He has been appointed as special Secretary in the Ministry of AYUSH, union of India on June 2017 and promoted to Secretary in the same ministry.

References