Rijiju launches 100-day countdown to 7th International Day of Yoga

PTI, Mar 14, 2021, 7:50 AM IST

New Delhi: Union minister Kiren Rijiju Saturday launched the 100-day countdown to the 7th International Day of Yoga and gave a line-up of all the activities that the government has planned for the occasion.

The International Day of Yoga (IDY) is celebrated on June 21 every year.

Rijiju, the Minister of State for AYUSH, said in a statement that Yoga has vast potential for an employment opportunity, especially after the declaration of Yogasana as a competitive sport.

He said the Ministry of AYUSH, which is the nodal Ministry for IDY in India, has initiated a host of activities aiming to motivate as many people as possible to participate in IDY activities.

The ministry is organising a three-day Yoga Mahotsav in six cities – Ahmadabad, Itanagar, New Delhi, Bhopal, Panjim and Leh – from April 9-11, he said, adding it has also lined up different IT assets to facilitate the IDY observation.

A dedicated app called the Namaste Yoga App, which is designed as a mobile equivalent of the Yoga Portal will be launched in May.

The minister further informed that the National Institute of Naturopathy (NIN), Pune, has launched a pilot initiative under which over 5,600 ASHA workers in Maharashtra are being provided training.

The minister informed that in coordination with the Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy (CCRYN), the ministry has initiated work on developing the Productivity Dimension of Yoga. A multi-disciplinary committee of experts headed by Dr HD Nagendra, Chancellor (S-VYASA), Bengaluru has initiated work on preparing a white paper on the subject.

He said that the Ministry will be inviting nominations for the Prime Minister’s Yoga Awards (PMYAs) for outstanding contribution towards the promotion and development of Yoga on the MyGov platform in April 2021.

He said that The Ministry of AYUSH and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports are collaborating on various fronts and will launch a dedicated campaign making Yoga a part of the Fit India movement. This two-month campaign will be launched on April 21.

Additionally, the YCB accredited centres will be made Fit India Centres, and all Sports Authority of India centres will also be made Yoga training centres in association with Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga.

He said that the Ministry of Sports is promoting four local sports and now with Yogasana as a fifth sport will be promoted to a great extent.

He said that various organisations in the private sector are also working with the Ministry to take the message of Yoga forward.

He informed that Ram Chandra Mission, Hyderabad, is organising IDY related activities with the support of the Ministry of AYUSH and in collaboration with Patanjali Yogpeeth- Haridwar, SVYASA – Bengaluru, and other leading institutions. This will be a 100-day event titled “Yoga for Unity and Wellbeing”.

The programme is supported by the United Nations Department of Public Information (UNDPI) and will cover many countries apart from the length and breadth of India.