New Delhi, July 10 (IANS) Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya has urged citizens to keep the momentum going for the Fit India Sundays on Cycle movement with full power ahead of the 31st edition of the cycling drive, scheduled pan-India with Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) on July 13.

Set to take place in full swing across more than 6,000 locations pan-India and with an estimated 50,000 participants, one of the highlights of this 31st edition of the event this weekend will be the presence of former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) champion and India’s only Heavyweight title winner, The Great Khali.

Khali, the 7ft giant, will lead the cycling rally in the national capital at the Major Dhyanchand National Stadium, alongside other distinguished personalities.

“From a humble beginning in December last year, this cycling drive has become a nationwide fitness revolution, touching over 11,000 locations and inspiring lakhs of citizens. We are taking Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of an ‘Obesity-Free India’ forward by every pedal in the cycle. Let the Fit India Sundays on Cycle keep reflecting the spirit of a new India and let us keep pedalling our way towards a healthier, stronger, and more vibrant Viksit Bharat,” Dr. Mandaviya was quoted as saying in a release on Thursday.

Launched by Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya in December 2024, the Fit India Sundays on Cycle has evolved into a flagship national campaign encouraging lakhs of citizens to adopt cycling as a lifestyle. As per the latest data, the event has expanded to 11,000+ locations across India, with over 4 lakh citizens across various age categories joining in, the release informed.

Special partners for this Sunday’s cycling drive are Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), and over 500 cyclists are expected to join Khali, aka Dalip Singh Rana, in New Delhi. Dalip, 52, became the first Indian professional wrestler to be signed to a contract by the WWE in 2006.

Earlier editions of the Fit India Sundays on Cycle have seen themes ranging from tributes to armed forces to postmen as well as collaborations with sanitation workers and doctors.

The overall message is of ‘Fighting against Obesity’, a clarion call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This time, the emphasis is on corporate partnerships through PSUs, further strengthening the unifying spirit of the government’s holistic approach to national fitness and development of Indian sports, the release claimed.

Adding more energy to the 31st edition of Fit India Sundays on Cycle, a special event will be hosted by Raahgiri Foundation in Gurgaon, which will feature dance corners, hand painting zones, and street games like Ludo, Carrom, and Snake & Ladders, turning public spaces into interactive playgrounds.

The Fit India Sundays on Cycle is organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS), in collaboration with the Cycling Federation of India (CFI), MY Bharat, and Yogasana Bharat. More than 2000 cycling clubs are part of the movement and actively participate every Sunday.

These cycling drives are conducted by several Khelo India Centres (KICs), Khelo India State Centres of Excellence (KISCEs), SAI Training Centres (STCs), Khelo India Accredited Academies (KIAAs), Regional Centres (RCs), as well as various National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs) across the country.

–IANS

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