Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju joined the International Day of Yoga 2026 celebrations at the historic Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Sunday, 21 June 2026, marking the annual observance alongside senior civil and police officials of the union territory administration.

Context

The event brought together Lieutenant Governor Admiral D.K. Joshi (Retd.), Chief Secretary Dr. Chandra Bhusan Kumar (IAS), and Director General of Police Ravindra Singh Yadav (IPS), along with administration officials and yoga enthusiasts. Rijiju described the setting as one that allowed participants to 'embrace the timeless practice that nurtures harmony between mind, body and spirit' amid the natural beauty of the islands.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island, formerly known as Ross Island, was renamed in 2018 to honour the Indian independence leader Subhash Chandra Bose. Its selection as the venue lends the celebration a layered symbolic significance, combining India's freedom movement heritage with its contemporary wellness diplomacy.

Policy Backdrop

The International Day of Yoga is observed every year on 21 June following UN General Assembly Resolution 69/131, adopted in 2014 at the proposal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The resolution, backed by a record number of co-sponsoring nations, established the date as a global occasion to recognise yoga's universal appeal.

The Ministry of AYUSH — which oversees Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy — coordinates the national programme each year, organising events at prominent sites across India and at Indian missions abroad. Successive administrations have used the day as both a public-health initiative and a vehicle for cultural diplomacy.

Stakeholders and Impact

Celebrations in union territories such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands serve a dual purpose: they extend the reach of the national observance to geographically remote communities and signal administrative engagement with island residents. The participation of the Lieutenant Governor and senior officials underscores the event's institutional weight beyond a ceremonial gathering.

For the island's residents and the broader yoga community, the choice of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island — a site steeped in colonial-era history and now recast as a symbol of national pride — adds resonance to the wellness message. The Ministry of AYUSH has in recent years sought to link yoga practice to preventive public health, a theme reflected in the #YogaForHealthyAgeing hashtag used in Rijiju's post.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to any announcements from the Ministry of AYUSH on the official theme and programme architecture for future editions of the International Day of Yoga, as well as potential parliamentary references to integrating yoga into public-health or tourism frameworks. The Andaman and Nicobar administration's participation this year may also inform how remote union territories are included in subsequent national wellness campaigns.