The health ministry would give special thrust to foster growth of Ayush (ayurveda, yoga, unani, siddha and homeopathy) during the 12th plan period, Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad said today.

"The acceptance of homoeopathy and other alternative therapies are growing both in India and abroad. The government will take special measures to encourage growth of these line of treatments during the 12th plan," Azad said at the launch of book 'Banerji Protocols' authored by father-son duo Prasanta Banerji and Pratip Banerji.

Azad said that most health ministers of the world were now willing to collaborate with the India to know more about homoeopathy and ayurveda.

He said that the government had taken a decision to co-locate allopathy and other forms of medicines like Ayush in the same hospital where people would be able to exercise their choice of treatment.

"It is a useful co-existence of both allopathy and Ayush," the minister said.

The Centre had provided a grant-in-aid of Rs 553 crore for development of homoeopathy, he added.