Education Minister Vinod Tawde on Thursday said about 15 lakh students will participate in the 5th International Yoga Day, which will be celebrated in educational institutions across Maharashtra from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. on June 21.
At a preparatory meeting, Mr. Tawde said, “Special arrangements will be made in special cases. Keeping the grand celebrations in mind, we will ensure that programme is conducted in Vidarbha as well. Also, in case of rain in Mumbai, Konkan and Pune, steps will be taken to prepare students for yoga activities.” Schools in Vidarbha open from June 27, which was noted as a matter of concern in the meeting.
Training on Monday
Mr. Tawde said a working committee will operate in each district to ensure smooth functioning of the event. The committee will consist of an education officer, a district sports officer and a yoga instructor.
Yoga instructors will train teachers on June 17 according to the protocol set by the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy. The teachers will be trained in a number of yoga asanas such as tadasana, vrukshasana, and vakrasna. A team of 60,000 National Cadet Corps members will be roped in for assistance.
Vandana Krishna, Chief Secretary, School Education and Sports Department, said, “June 21 is the longest day of the year, which holds a significance of its own. Keeping the glorious history of yoga in mind, this will prove to be a very fruitful day for all our youngsters.”