Amaravati, Jun 1 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav on Monday said the state will launch a 14-day Yogandhra-2026 campaign from June 7.
He said the initiative aims to involve one crore people in yoga activities ahead of International Yoga Day on June 21.
Addressing a press conference at the Secretariat, the minister said special programmes would be organised across the state under the theme “Yoga for Healthy Ageing” to create awareness about yoga and encourage people to adopt it as part of their daily lives.
“One crore citizens, including farmers, women self-help groups, fishermen, tribal communities, students, youth associations, and members of voluntary organisations, will participate in Yogandhra programmes across the state,” Yadav said.
The campaign will run from June 7 to June 20, culminating in International Yoga Day celebrations on June 21, he said.
A state-level yoga event involving 25,000 participants will be organised on the Krishna River bridge being constructed as part of the West Bypass project in Amaravati, where Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is expected to participate.
Yadav said the government is targeting the creation of 10 lakh regular yoga practitioners and plans to increase the number of trainers to 2.5 lakh by adding one lakh instructors to the existing pool of 1.5 lakh trainers.
He said the CM has approved a proposal to establish the Andhra Pradesh Yoga Prachara Parishad to promote yoga awareness, and the proposal is under consideration of the Finance Department.
According to Yadav, three regional offices will be established under the Parishad to monitor and promote yoga-related activities throughout the year.
A special war room is also being set up at the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) in Mangalagiri to monitor programme implementation and coordinate yoga activities across departments, he said.
The minister said Yogandhra activities would be organised across all 28 districts under different themes, while special yoga sessions would be conducted at 56 tourist destinations, with two locations identified in each district.
Daily yoga events involving at least 500 participants will be organised at selected tourist locations during the campaign period, while the inaugural programme is proposed to be held at Lepakshi in Sri Sathya Sai district on June 7.
Competitions in yoga asanas, pranayama, synchronised group yoga, quizzes, essay writing, and slogan contests will be conducted at village, mandal, district, and state levels between June 7 and June 20, officials said.
Outstanding performers will be invited to participate in the state-level celebrations in Amaravati, while district headquarters will host separate International Yoga Day events involving around 3,000 participants each Yoga awareness and training material will be made available free of cost through digital platforms, the press release said.
According to officials, 90 yoga asana videos, 21 disease-prevention modules, seven daily practice routines, and 50 short explanatory videos will be made available via WhatsApp and the Sanjeevani App to encourage public participation. PTI MS SSK
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