Srinagar Gears Up For PM Modi's International Yoga Day 2024

EE News Desk Jun 19, 2024

The event will take place alongside the Dal Lake in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir on 21 June

According to media reports, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to commemorate this year's International Day of Yoga on June 21, alongside the Dal Lake in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. The event, anticipated to draw between 3,000 to 4,000 attendees, will take place at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) along the picturesque Boulevard road.

The theme for this year's International Day of Yoga is ‘Yoga for Self and Society,’ emphasising yoga's dual impact on individual and societal well-being.

Prataprao Jadhav, Union Minister of State for Ayush (Independent Charge), revealed in Delhi on Tuesday that the Prime Minister has corresponded with every Gram Pradhan, encouraging grassroots involvement and the propagation of yoga in rural areas.

Srinagar Preps Up

Preparations are in full swing in Srinagar as the city readies itself to host the nation's primary event on the International Day of Yoga. The administration, led by Union Territory's Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha, has made special arrangements for the occasion, marking Prime Minister Modi's inaugural visit to Jammu and Kashmir since commencing his third consecutive term.

This marks PM Modi's second visit to Srinagar this year. Back in February, he addressed a rally in Srinagar ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured two of the five seats in Jammu and Kashmir, both within the Jammu region.

The event is expected to draw a diverse crowd, including party workers, students, officials, sports personalities, and enthusiasts. To ensure security, a multi-layered security arrangement will be implemented across Srinagar, beginning 20 June evening when the Prime Minister is slated to arrive. The Jammu and Kashmir Police have designated Srinagar as a ‘temporary red zone,’ prohibiting the operation of drones and quadcopters in the city until the conclusion of the event on 21 June.

International Yoga Day

In response to a proposal by Prime Minister Modi, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) officially designated 21 June as the International Day of Yoga (IDY) in December 2014.

Prime Minister Modi has played a central role in advocating for yoga on the global stage. Since 2015, he has spearheaded IDY celebrations at several notable venues, such as Kartavya Path in Delhi, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Ranchi, Jabalpur, and even the United Nations Headquarters in New York, where he marked the occasion last year.

Jadhav mentioned, “His leadership has significantly boosted yoga's global popularity and recognition."

Ahead of the main event scheduled for 21 June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been actively sharing various yoga poses on his social media account, raising awareness about yoga and its benefits. PM Modi has posted tutorial videos featuring animations to guide viewers on performing specific yoga postures.

Over the past decade, International Day of Yoga (IDY) has achieved four Guinness World Records. In 2015, 35,985 individuals, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, participated in a yoga session at Rajpath.

The event has seen participation from 84 countries in a single yoga session, with increasing involvement from around the globe each year. In 2023, approximately 23.4 crore people worldwide took part in the IDY event, as reported by a government press release.