The 5th annual International Day of Yoga (IDY) was observed on June 21, 2019. There are two themes for World Yoga Day 2019 , United Nation has declared theme as “Yoga for Climate Action” and Ministry of Ayush , India has declared theme for Yoga Day is ” Yoga for Heart“. The first International Day of Yoga was celebrated in the year 2015 at RajPath in New Delhi. The day was declared by the United States General Assembly (UNGA). The word ‘yoga’ was derived from Sanskrit, which means to join or unite, symbolizing the union of body and consciousness.
International Yoga Day 2019 in India
- The main yoga day event was held at Prabhat Tara ground, Ranchi, Jharkhand. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the gathering and performed Yoga asana along with 40,000 participants.
- President Ram Nath Kovind participated in the Yoga day event organised at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
- Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu participated in the Yoga Day celebrations organised by Brahma Kumaris at Red Fort, New Delhi.
- Speaker of Lok Sabha Om Birla practised Yoga along with the Members of Parliament (MPs) in the Parliament House complex.
- The programmes were also held at Nehru Park, Lodhi Garden, Talkatora Garden, Yamuna Sports Complex, Swarna Jayanti Park – Rohini and Dwarka Sector – 11.
Prime Minister’s Awards for Outstanding Contribution for Promotion & Development of Yoga 2019
Prime Minister’s Award for outstanding contribution for promotion and development of Yoga were given on the occasion of IDY 2019. On the occasion of the 2nd International Day in 2016, PM Narendra Modi had announced the institution of awards for the promotion and development of Yoga. The Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurvedic, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) developed the guidelines for the awards. The selection for the awards was done among 79 nominations received under different categories. Two committees were constituted namely Screening Committee for preliminary evaluation and Evaluation Committee (jury) for the selection of the awardees. The winners are honoured with a trophy, a certificate and a cash award each, valuing Rs 25 lakh.
The following were the recipients of the award:
Category Individual – International
It was conferred to Antonietta Rozzi of Italy. He is a practicing Yoga teacher from Lerici, Italy and has more than 42 years of experience in the field of Yoga.
Category Organisation – International
It was conferred to Japan Yoga Niketan. It was established in 1980. It functions in association with Yoga Niketan, Rishikesh, and S-VYASA Yoga University, Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Category Individual – National
It was conferred to Swami Rajarshi Muni of Life Mission, Gujarat. He is a practicing yogi from Limbdi, Gujarat He was administered yoga deeksha by Swami Kripalvananda in 1971. He is the founder of the Lakulish International Fellowship’s Enlightenment Mission (Life Mission).
Category Organisation – National
It was conferred to Bihar School of Yoga, Munger. It was founded in 1964 by Sri Swami Satyananda Saraswati. It is known for Yoga techniques developed through a synthesis of many approaches based on traditional vedantic, tantric and yogic teachings in conjunction with contemporary physical and mental health sciences.
PM led 40,000 yoga enthusiasts at Ranchi, Jharkhand
Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed Yoga asana along with 40,000 participants at Prabhat Tara ground, Ranchi, Jharkhand. Jharkhand’s Chief Minister Raghubar Das, Governor Droupadi Murmu, Union Minister of State (Independent) for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik and Jharkhand Health Minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi also shared the stage along with the Prime Minister.
Observance of IDY 2019 by other ministries
- The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh participated in the Yoga Day activities at Satya Park, Loha Mandi at Narayana, New Delhi.
- ‘Yoga by Gateway’ themed 5th IDY, 2019 was celebrated at OYC lawns in the picturesque background of Gateway of India at Department of Atomic Energy with a tagline of ‘Festival of Yoga and Wellbeing.’ It was organised by Atomic Energy Recreation Club and led by President Shri Abhay Kumar. It was attended by more than two hundred senior officers and staff of the Department of Atomic Energy led by Shri Sanjay Kumar, Joint Secretary (Admn. & Accounts), Department of Atomic Energy.
- Union Minister of State for Shipping (IC) and Chemicals & Fertilizers, Shri Mansukh Mandaviya led hundreds of enthusiastic citizens and yoga practitioners in celebrating IDY 2019 in the Nehru Park, New Delhi.
- Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh led thousands in practicing Yoga at majestic Rajpath with Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi.
- Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel from Animal Training School (ATS) located at Lohitpur performed Yoga with dogs in Lohit valley of Arunachal Pradesh.
- The main function of Jammu region was held at K.K.Hakku Stadium in the winter capital city of Jammu where Divisional Commissioner Jammu Sanjeev Verma led people performing Yoga Postures and Kriyas.
- Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar, Culture and Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Rameshwar Teli, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Chief Minister of Goa Dr Pramod Sawant and Chief Minister of Sikkim Prem Singh Tamang practised Yoga at Rajpath, New Delhi.
- External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar participated in the IDY event with the diplomatic corps and his Ministry officials at the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in New Delhi.
- IT and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal attended Yoga Day Celebrations at Lodhi Gardens.
- Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan participated in the Yoga Day programme at Talkatora Garden and Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi practised yoga at Patel Nagar. Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju attended the event at Najafgarh.
- The Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot attended Yoga day event at Sangam Vihar while Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani practised Yoga at Bijwasan.
- Human Resource Development Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank joined Yoga Day programme at Burari, Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan at Civil Lines, Animal Husbandry Minister Giriraj Singh at Vikaspuri, Skill Development Minister Mahendra Nath Pandey at Hari Nagar and  Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Dr Jitendra Singh at North Block lawns and Karolbagh.
IDY in other countries
- IDY was celebrated on a grand scale at the Banga Bandhu stadium by the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
- Prime Minister of Nepal K. P. Sharma Oli and Deputy Prime Minister Upendra Yadav participated in Yoga Day celebrations at the city centre in Kathmandu, Nepal.
- In Sri Lanka, several events were organized to mark the IDY and it’s national television channel organized a special programme on the occasion which included live telecast of the main Yoga programme held in Ranchi, Jharkhand.
About Ministry of AYUSH:
♦ Headquarters: New Delhi
♦ Founded: 9 November 2014
♦ Officeholder: Shripad Yesso Naik (MOS independent charge)