Ministers fan out for Yoga Day celebrations across the country

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading International Yoga Day event in Delhi, several of his cabinet colleagues will be in various states on Sunday to spread awareness about the traditional artform.

While External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will lead the mega event at the United Nations headquarters, Home Minister Rajnath Singh will participate at a yoga event in Lucknow.

Lucknow, Kolkata and Patna will host "mega    events" to mark the day. Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu will travel to Chennai where 30,000 people are expected to participate while Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma will visit his constituency in Noida to take part in the event.

Law Minister D V Sadananda Gowda will be in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerela to participate in a mega event, while Health Minister J P Nadda will take part in a yoga event scheduled to be held at Sanjeevaiah Park in Hyderabad.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar will leave Delhi early in the morning for Meerut where he will take part in a yoga event, while Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi will participate in an event in her constituency Pilibhit.

Shripad Naik, Minister for AYUSH, the coordinating Ministry for the event on June 21 said various Union Ministers have been assigned different states by the government.
Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram will visit Jeypore in Odisha on June 21 where he will perform yoga as well as address the gathering.

Minister of state for Information and Broadcasting Rajvardhan Rathore will be in Delhi. HRD Minister Smriti Irani will be in Shimla.

The Centre has planned a mega event at Rajpath on IYD where around 35,000 people including government officials, armed forces personnel, NCC cadets and foreign diplomats are expected to take part.

The yoga celebrations are being held in the national capital after the United Nations had in December last year declared June 21 as International Yoga Day, with 177 countries voting in favour.

The proposal was mooted by the Prime Minister during his first address to the UN General Assembly in September last year.