Shri Giriraj Singh, Union Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj led the Yoga programme at Kendriya Vidyalaya, South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) Jhagrakhand, SECL Hasdeo Area, North Jhagrakhand under Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (MCB) District in Chhattisgarh in the presence of Shri Narendra Kumar Dugga, Collector & District Magistrate, MCB, Shri Siddharth Tewari, Superintendent of Police, MCB, Shri Sanjay Kumar Mishra, Regional General Manager SECL Hasdeo Area, Shri L. P. Tirkey, Vidyalaya Management Committee (VMC) Nominee Chairman, Shri Abhishek Kumar, SDM, Manendragarh, Shri Y. K. Solanki, Principal, Kendriya Vidyalaya, SECL Jhagrakhand, other District officials, personnel of SECL, teachers and students of Kendriya Vidyalaya and local residents. The telecast of Prime Minister’s message on the occasion of ninth International Day of Yoga was screened during the Yoga programme.
Addressing the participants Union Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Shri Giriraj Singh said that India is moving towards global leadership in different spheres during the last nine years including Yoga, which is India’s prescription of wellness to the world. India has emerged as a world leader through Yoga. Shri Giriraj Singh called upon the participants to promote good lifestyle choices for better health, personal transformation and expanding consciousness through the practice of yoga and promoting the idea of the link between good health and sustainable development. Discussing the theme of this year’s International Day of Yoga Shri Giriraj Singh underlined that Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is an ancient Indian philosophy that perceives the entire world as one large, interconnected family and Yoga unites people from different nations in the same spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam today.
Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil led a mass Yoga demonstration to mark 9th International Day of Yoga in presence of 5000 yoga enthusiasts at Vasudev Balwant Phadke Maidan, Near Lal Chowki, Kalyan West, Thane District, Maharashtra. Chief Executive Officer of Thane Zilla Parishad Shri Manuj Jindal, other dignitaries and Panchayat representatives were present on this occasion. Around 2000 students from various schools of Kalyan, Maharashtra participated in this programme organized jointly by Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Thane Zilla Parishad, Maharashtra.
Ministry of Panchayati Raj celebrated the ninth edition of International Day of Yoga on 21st June 2023 by organizing Yoga Demonstration Session at two locations of MoPR office premises — (i) Jeevan Bharti Building (9th Floor, Tower-2), Parliament Street, New Delhi and (ii) Jeevan Prakash Building (11th Floor), Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi. Dr. Chandra Shekhar Kumar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj led the officers and employees (regular/ contractual/ outsourced) of Ministry of Panchayati Raj to perform Yoga in the office premises on the occasion of International Day of Yoga.
Dr. Bijaya Kumar Behera, Economic Adviser, MoPR, Smt. Malti Rawat, Director, MoPR, Dr. Sriramappa Viradi, Director, MoPR, Shri A. K. Misra, Deputy Secretary and other senior officers actively participated in celebration of International Day of Yoga. Common Yoga Protocol, Yoga-Break, Lecture on Yoga by Experts, Yoga Demonstration were some of the activities undertaken at the event. Yoga sessions were conducted by Yoga Experts deputed by Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY), Ministry of AYUSH – Ms. Chanchal Vijay and Ms. Samiksha Nehra.
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has consistently been following-up with State/ UT Departments of Panchayati Raj vide advisory dated 3rd May, 2023 from Additional Secretary, MoPR, the joint advisory dated 22nd May, 2023 from Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, advisory dated 1st June 2023 from Additional Secretary, advisory dated 16th June 2023 from Additional Secretary, MoPR and advisory dated 16th June 2023 from Economic Adviser, MoPR regarding observance of 9th edition of International Day of Yoga on 21st June 2023 in Panchayats across the country with focus on taking Yoga to each and every village in India through active participation of Panchayati Raj Institutions.
Lecture-cum-Demonstration Session on Common Yoga Protocol (CYP), Yoga–Break (Y–Break) and Importance of Yoga in Daily Life organized by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj on 31st May 2023 as part of Yoga Utsav – Countdown Programme for the ninth International Day of Yoga.
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj took to social media, official WhatsApp Groups and bulk SMSes besides official communication to disseminate Prime Minister’s letter dated 15th June 2023 addressed to Gram Pradhans requesting them to take Yoga to every village and each household to maximize citizen participation in celebration of International Day of Yoga. Prime Minister has given clarion call for active participation of Gram Panchayats along with Gram Sabhas so that together we can build a healthy and prosperous nation. Gram Panchayats were also advised to read out Prime Minister’s message in local language publicly to all the residents of Gram Panchayat on International Day of Yoga (21st June 2023).
In response to MoPR’s request to State / UT Departments of Panchayati Raj to identify one bigger-size Gram Panchayat or cluster of Gram Panchayats for setting up Ayush Gram / Sampoorn Yoga Gram, States and UTs viz. Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram and Uttar Pradesh informed that twenty-one Gram Panchayats have been nominated as Ayush Gram / Sampoorn Yoga Gram to carry out various activities to ensure the access/ benefits of Yoga to the last person at the last mile and celebration of the International Day of Yoga, 2023 achieve its goals and objectives. It has been reported that Panchayati Raj Institutions have conducted several activities with full vigour, zest and enthusiasm to ensure that Yoga Day reaches every village of the country promoting its domestic theme – Har Aangan Yoga.
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