Amaravati, May 16 (IANS) The government of Andhra Pradesh aims to set a new Guinness World Record for the largest gathering for a yoga session at one place, with about 2.5 lakh participating in the session at Visakhapatnam on International Yoga Day on June 21

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the 11th International Yoga Day celebrations in Visakhapatnam along with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, state ministers and other leaders.

The authorities are making arrangements for approximately 2.5 lakh people to participate in yoga from RK Beach to Bheemunipatnam Beach.

Officials informed the Chief Minister at a review meeting on Friday that 68 locations have been identified for the event, including public spaces like RK Beach, Rushikonda, schools, cricket grounds, police and sports complexes, navy premises, and other open grounds, altogether providing capacity for 2,58,948 participants.

In 2023, Surat hosted a yoga session with 1.53 lakh participants at one location, setting a new Guinness World Record. The Andhra Pradesh government now plans to surpass that record with the event at Visakhapatnam.

Given that the event marks 10 years of International Yoga Day, the Chief Minister instructed that the event should be held in the grandest possible manner.

He suggested involving up to 5 lakh people by organising yoga sessions across all suitable locations from RK Beach to Srikakulam along the coastline.

The Chief Minister stressed that the event must be historic and unforgettable. He noted that this year’s theme is ‘Yoga for One Earth, One Health’.

The event will be conducted in coordination with the Health Department, AYUSH Ministry, and Central Government agencies.

“This is a prestigious event. The Prime Minister’s presence makes it even more special. It must be conducted spectacularly and mark the beginning of a widespread yoga movement across the state. Every citizen should be made a stakeholder. The programme must reach at least two crore people. The state-wide campaign should be launched under the theme ‘Yogandhra-2025’,” CM Naidu said.

To prepare people for the event, a ‘Yoga Month’ will be observed from May 21 to June 21. During this period, yoga sessions will be conducted across all village and ward secretariat jurisdictions. Private individuals, trainers, yoga associations, and experts will be involved as partners.

CM Naidu said citizens should be offered online and offline training for a month, and those completing it should be awarded certificates of recognition.

Registrations for Yoga Day participation should be facilitated through the village and ward secretariats. Students from schools and colleges should also be actively involved, he said.

He suggested that organisations like Isha Foundation and Art of Living should be engaged.

The United Nations designated June 21 as International Yoga Day at the initiative of Prime Minister Modi.

The first such event in 2015, featuring 36,000 participants on a single stage, entered the Guinness World Records. In the inaugural year, yoga was held in 84 countries. Today, more than 170 countries observe International Yoga Day.

–IANS

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