Bhubaneswar: Union Minister of State for Ayush, Prataprao Jadhav, Monday launched ‘Harit Yoga’ and said this form of yoga will nurture both personal and planetary health.
Harit Yoga is a sustainability-driven initiative combining yoga with tree planting and clean-up drives.
Jadhav said this while inaugurating Yoga Mahotsav-2025 here to mark the 75-day countdown to International Day for Yoga (IDY) June 21.
The event was organised by the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY) under the Ministry of Ayush at Kalinga Stadium here.
He said that Harit Yoga is part of the 10 signature events of IDY 2025.
Jadhav and other dignitaries planted medicinal plants to mark the launching of the signature event.
Speaking about the Harit Yoga initiative, he said, Our health is inextricably linked to the health of our planet. Just as Yoga nourishes our mind and body, tree plantation nourishes the Earth, ensuring a greener and healthier future for generations to come.
While addressing, the Union minister said India has gifted the capital for healthy living to the world in the form of yoga and the world has adopted it.
He said the UN General Assembly has unanimously adopted the resolution proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014 to celebrate June 21 as International Day of Yoga.
Ten successful years of celebration of International Day of Yoga have passed. Now, people in over 170 countries are celebrating India’s gift to the world – yoga. It means about 85 per cent of the world has adopted the ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice, he said.
The event has not been confined to a one-day celebration. It has become part of life for many. Yoga is not just confined to a lifestyle, it has also become a preventive measure to remain physically healthy, Jadhav said.
It has shown a path to people across the globe to remain healthy while staying indoors during the COVID-19 lockdown period, he said.
In his latest ‘Mann Ki Baat’ address, the Prime Minister declared ‘Yoga for One Earth One Health’ as the theme of Yoga Day 2025, which shows India’s effort to make the whole world healthy through yoga, the minister pointed out.
This also indicates that healthy living is not only the desire of an individual; it should be a collective effort of the world, the Ayush minister said.
Mentioning sustainability and the environmental aspect of yoga, he linked Harit Yoga with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam. ‘
This initiative encourages individuals to plant trees as a symbolic act of nurturing both personal and planetary health, he said.
He also highlighted the success of the ‘Prakruti Parikshan Abhiyan’ in which Prakruti Parikshan of more than 1.29 crore people was conducted, earning a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, who was present at the event, said, Yoga inspires us to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Let us integrate yoga into our daily lives and draw strength from the divine energy of Lord Jagannath.
Among others, Puri MP Sambit Patra also spoke on this occasion.
To mark the launch of Harit Yoga, more than 5,000 medicinal plants were distributed among the yoga enthusiasts.
PTI
