Vijayawada, June 21 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu said on Sunday the state government is striving towards the goal of holistic health by bringing yoga to every household and announced that yoga centres will be set up in every village. 

The Chief Minister participated in the ‘International Yoga Day’ event organised by the state government at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Vijayawada.

He performed yoga exercises with Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev, who guided the Chief Minister and Minister Nara Lokesh in performing various asanas.

Wearing a T-shirt featuring the ‘Yogandhra’ logo, the Chief Minister practised yoga, including Pranayama and Anulom-Vilom techniques, and performed various asanas.

On the occasion of International Yoga Day, the IGM Stadium was packed with students and youth. Ramdev Baba led the gathering in yoga practice since 5 a.m.

Officials and employees from various levels, along with the general public, participated in the event and performed yoga asanas.

CM Naidu administered a pledge to the people, committing them to act responsibly for the welfare of society.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister stated that over one crore people are practising yoga across 1.33 lakh centres in the state. “Taking yoga to every household and ensuring public health is the government’s goal. We will construct permanent yoga centres in ‘Swarna Grama’ and ‘Swarna Ward’ offices. Officials at the district and mandal levels will be appointed to oversee yoga programmes. A team of experts will be constituted to formulate standard yoga protocols. We will set up a dedicated portal for ‘Yogandhra’.”

He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing global recognition to yoga. “Prime Minister Modi is showcasing India’s strength to the world and positioning the nation at the forefront. Thanks to the Prime Minister’s initiative, International Yoga Day is being observed in 190 countries. India is a ‘Vishwa Guru’ (global mentor) to the world; it is a nation capable of guiding the globe,” he said.

CM Naidu stated that Yoga enhances both physical and mental fitness. He commended the efforts of Ramdev Baba in bringing yoga closer to the people.

“The future lies in a combination of technology and spirituality. A healthy, wealthy, and happy Andhra Pradesh is achievable through spirituality and the practice of yoga. Let us strive to build a spiritual Andhra Pradesh,” he said.

CM Naidu revealed that he has been practising yoga for 30 years. “I stay busy every day and have to face various challenges, but practising yoga enables me to overcome all these difficulties. When technology is combined with spirituality, it becomes unstoppable. Just as we have adopted modern technology, we must also adopt yoga and spirituality,” he said.

He recalled that Andhra Pradesh set records by organising ‘Yogandhra-2025’ in Visakhapatnam. The event achieved Guinness and world records in the presence of Prime Minister Modi. He announced that the next International Yoga Day will be organised in Tirupati.

The Chief Minister called on people to say no to junk food. “Let us avoid fast food. We are promoting natural farming; consuming chemical-free food keeps illness at bay. We will increase the state’s green cover to 50 per cent. The ‘Sanjeevani’ project will be implemented statewide starting August 15th. We will bring medical experts closer to the people and integrate yoga into the Sanjeevani initiative. One should dedicate an hour daily to yoga, meditation, and pranayama.”

Two World Book of Records certificates were presented on the occasion, recognising the participation of 1.07 crore citizens and 2.5 lakh instructors in yoga across the state. Officials presented them to Chief Minister Naidu on stage.

Union Ministers Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu and Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma; Education Minister Nara Lokesh; State Ministers Satya Kumar Yadav, Kandula Durgesh, Atchannaidu, and Savitha; MP Kesineni Sivanath (Chinni); State Government Advisor Mantena Satyanarayana Raju; Principal Secretary of Municipal Administration S. Suresh Kumar; AYUSH Director KVN Chakradhar Babu; District Collector Dr G. Lakshmisha; Patanjali Ayurved Co-founder Acharya Balkrishna; chairpersons of various corporations; and other public representatives participated in the event.

–IANS

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