NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the second International Yoga Day celebrations in Chandigarh on Tuesday. PM Modi addressed thousands of people gathered for asanas at Chandigarh’s Capitol Complex. Over 30, 000 people, including 100 differently-abled children, participated in the event, which began at 6.30am. The theme of this year’s event is to ‘Connect the Youth’.

Here are the highlights from the PM’s address on Yoga Day:

• Yoga talks about what you will get in this life. It is not a science of afterlife
• This is a day linked with good health and now it has become a people’s mass movement
• The way mobile phone has become a part of life, you can make yoga a part of your life too
• The UN is celebrating International Yoga Day all over the world. It was started last year on India’s request. This day was picked as it is the longest day and the Earth is closest to the Sun
• I really feel some people don’t fully understand the power and benefits of Yoga
• The world supported the idea of International Day of Yoga. All sections of society came together in this endeavour
• This is a day linked with good health and now it has become a people’s mass movement
• Yoga is not about what one will get, it is about what one can give up
• With zero budget, yoga provides health assurance. Yoga does not discriminate between rich and poor
• Important to integrate yoga with our lives. Do not wait, make yoga a part of your life
• Let’s make yoga more popular globally. Let India produce good yoga teachers
• Today more and more gynaecologists are recommending yoga for pregnant women
• Yoga will connect you to yourself, which is vital in these times when everyone is so busy
• Let’s focus on one thing in the coming days, how to mitigate diabetes through yoga. Diabetes can surely be controlled through yoga

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The main programme will be held in Chandigarh which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi

There will be no public holiday and yoga will be voluntary for central government employees on Tuesday, when the country observes second International Yoga Day.

“There will be no holiday and all government offices will remain open tomorrow,” a senior official in Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said.

He said the Centre has not made it mandatory for the employees to take part in yoga.

“It is voluntary. Necessary arrangements have been put in place to allow employees to attend yoga at various programmes being organised across the country,” the official said.

There are about 50 lakh central government employees.

Over one lakh events have been planned in the country on second International Yoga Day. Of these, 10 regional-level mega events will be hosted in Varanasi, Imphal, Jammu, Shimla, Vadodara, Lucknow, Bengaluru, Vijayawada, Bhubaneshwar and Hoshiarpur.

The main programme will be held in Chandigarh which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Yoga day programmes will also be organised in 391 universities, 16,000 colleges and 12,000 schools across the country.

Read at business-standard.com

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New Delhi: Ayush ministry may request the Union government to declare the International Yoga Day, which falls on June 21, as a public holiday if such a demand comes, Ayush minister Shripad Naik said today.

Speaking ahead of the second IYD celebrations, he said that his ministry would consider such a demand and request Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the interest of promoting a practice with multiple benefits to the masses.

“It is not needed, nobody has demanded that. Last year, also no such demand came. But if the demand comes, I will request the Prime Minister to do so.

“Yoga’s time is early morning. It will go on around 8 am.

There is no need of a holiday but if there is a demand for that, we will request the government,” Naik said during National Health Editors’ Conference on the theme – ‘Yoga for Holistic Health Recent Researches’ here.

June 21 this year falls on Tuesday while last year, it fell on a Sunday.

He also dismissed the controversy related to chanting of Om during the event and it has not been made compulsory.

“There is always some opposition whenever some good work is done. There is no opposition this year to it. We have not made it compulsory. Without OM, yoga cannot be complete. We have made those people who are opposing understand this and it seems they have understood,” he said.

A fresh controversy had broke out recently over the UGC’s directive asking universities and colleges to follow Ayush ministry’s yoga protocol that begins with chanting of ‘Om’ and some Sanskrit sholakas during Yoga Day celebrations on June 21.

Both the government and BJP, however had insisted that last year’s protocol has been maintained and no changes have been made. “There is no compulsion to chant ‘Om’,” the Ministry had earlier said.

Asked about the controversy which had erupted over performing of ‘Suryanamaskar asana, the minister said that this particular ‘asana’ had not been kept last year and this year, it will not be performed.

“The Surya namashkar asana, last year also we had not taken it. Its a complex exercise. It is difficult to do in 45 minutes and for people who are new to the exercise.

Therefore we have not kept this one,” Naik said.

PTI

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No.E(MPP)2015/3/12

The General Managers,
All Indian Railways & Production Units.

Director Generals,
RDSO/Lucknow.
NAIR/Vadodara.

Directors/Centralized Training institutes.
CMDs of Railway PSUs.

Sub: Celebration on 21st June 2015 as ‘International Day of Yoga’.

• All offices will open on 21.6.2015 in the forenoon and officers/officials may be directed to report at 9.00 AM.
• Organize Pranayam, Meditation, Yoga demonstrations by engaging Professional Yoga Trainers and arranging mass participation by employees from 9 to 10 AM at all Zonal Headquarters, Divisional Headquarters, Production Units, major workshops, Depots and other units including training institutes.
• The above may be followed by a workshop on the usefulness of yoga through Professional Yoga practitioners giving a discourse/demonstration on the usefulness and health/spiritual benefits of yoga.
• Arrange show casing of promotional films on yoga and distribution of educational & communicational material on yoga, including putting up posters to give wide publicity and coverage for the event.
• lntra-Railway and Intro-Division and Intro-Workshop prizes may be distributed to the best practitioners of yoga.
• All officers/officials may be motivated to participate on this occasion in large numbers by explaining them the benefits & importance of yoga in our life.

Kindly acknowledge receipt of this letter.

Copy to:
Secretary, Railway Board. He is requested to make similar arrangements to celebrate
this day in Railway Board.

Source: http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/mgt_ser/MPP_Training_Circular/2015/Yoga_Day_210615.pdf

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