PANAJI: Union Minister of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge) Shripad Naik on Tuesday said that more and more countries are attracted to yoga, and as compared to last year’s International Yoga Day when 199 countries participated in the same, more countries are expected to be added to the list, at this year’s Yoga Day.
“The day would also be celebrated with yoga-related programmes at various Embassies and Missions of India, all over the world,” he said.
Naik will be attending a related function along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, early morning. The International Yoga Day is celebrated annually on June 21 since its inception in 2015.
Speaking Further, Naik said that India, which has spread the concept of spirituality all over the world, is the leader in yoga. “Yoga, as the spiritual exercise, should be respected and accepted on the global level,” he said.
The AYUSH Minister also stated that there is no compulsion on schools and other institutions to hold Yoga Day event and that no holiday has been declared because the event is an early morning activity.
It was informed that over 50,000 people will be participating in the main national level Yoga Day celebrations in Lucknow.
The AYUSH Ministry is working day and night to make the International Yoga Day a big success not only at the national level but also at the international level. The Ministry has also written letters to various Indian Ambassadors and Embassies and urged them to make the event successful.