Did PM Modi Arrive in Vizag to Lead International Yoga Day Celebrations?

Visakhapatnam, June 20 (NationPress) Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Friday evening to spearhead the national event for the 11th International Yoga Day celebrations happening on Saturday.

At the airport, he was welcomed by Governor S. Abdul Nazeer, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, and state minister Nara Lokesh.

The yoga festivities are set to take place at R.K. Beach, where the Prime Minister will perform the Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) alongside more than 300,000 participants.

The main event is slated to run from 6:30 a.m. to 7:45 a.m., coordinating with over 1 million locations nationwide under the ‘Yoga Sangam’ initiative. This mass demonstration aims for unprecedented participation from all regions of the country.

In a post on ‘X’, Chief Minister Naidu expressed that Andhra Pradesh is set for a historic celebration, stating, “Over 20 million people will join this movement across more than 100,000 locations in our state. To be part of this grand celebration, locate your nearest venue and participate. Together, let’s make YogaAndhra2025 a moment of pride for our state!”

Preparations for the major event are complete, with extensive arrangements established along a 26-kilometer stretch from RK Beach to Bhogapuram.

Naidu previously informed the media that the state aspires to set two Guinness World Records and a total of 22 world records through this Yoga Day initiative.

On Friday, 25,000 tribal students performed 108 Surya Namaskars within 108 minutes at Andhra University in Visakhapatnam, breaking the record for the largest group performing Surya Namaskars simultaneously.

Chandrababu Naidu noted that arrangements are in place for 319,000 individuals to practice yoga simultaneously from RK Beach, with participants expected from 800,000 locations across the state, country, and worldwide.

“We estimated 20 million registrations for Yoga Day participation, but registrations have exceeded expectations, reaching 23.9 million,” he stated.

The month-long ‘Yogandhra’ initiative, running from May 21 to June 21, included over 15,000 yoga competitions at various tourist and significant locations. A total of 5,451 master trainers contributed to the execution. Certificates were issued to 10,558,299 participants of diverse yoga programs during this period, with every participant linked to Aadhaar and provided with a QR code.

To facilitate smooth participation, transportation is being organized for attendees from various areas. To execute the event smoothly, 326 compartments with a capacity of 1,000 people each have been prepared. Additionally, 332,000 T-shirts and 500,000 yoga mats have been arranged, along with sanitation provisions, including sufficient toilets for the morning sessions.

The event's theme is “Yoga for One Earth, One Health”.

The state is also making strides toward incorporating yoga into the curriculum from Class 9 onwards, planning to hold yoga classes once or twice a week in schools. There are initiatives to establish a deemed university dedicated to yoga as well.