New Delhi, June 21 (IANS) Several Union Ministers on Sunday extended heartfelt greetings to fellow citizens on the 12th International Yoga Day, as they participated in the annual event.

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said yoga is not merely an exercise, but the foundation of a healthy body, a peaceful mind, and a balanced life.

“Let us embrace yoga and contribute to building a disease-free, energetic, and positive India. Don’t practice yoga just for one day in the year; starting from June 21, make it a daily routine for 365 days,” Goyal posted on social media platform X.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman participated in the celebrations of the 12th International Yoga Day at the Brahmaputra Riverfront in Guwahati, Assam. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was also present on the occasion.

“This year’s theme is ‘Yoga for Healthy Ageing’, which emphasises the importance of Yoga for all ages. It highlights the need to enhance not only lifespan but also ‘healthspan’ – the period of life spent in good health,” she posted on X.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that “Yoga connects the entire world”.

Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that Yoga is a symbol of that invaluable heritage of India, which unites the body, mind, and soul in a single thread.

“Heartfelt greetings to all on the 12th ‘International Yoga Day’. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, yoga has become a global mass movement in the past 12 years, and India’s cultural consciousness has gained a new identity,” he noted.

“Let us all, with the resolve of ‘Yoga for Healthy Longevity’, become partners in building a healthy, capable, and developed India 2047,” the minister added.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the national celebration of the 12th International Day of Yoga at the historic Red Road in Kolkata, West Bengal. Leading the national observance under the theme “Yoga for Healthy Ageing”, he performed the Common Yoga Protocol along with thousands of participants, while lakhs of people across India and the world joined the celebrations.

Addressing the gathering, PM Modi remarked that from the Himalayas to the Indian Ocean and from Bengal to Saurashtra, the entire nation was filled with the energy and spirit of Yoga.

–IANS

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