PM Modi Marks International Yoga Day in Kashmir
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2024-06-21 07:42 GMT
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir hosted the 10th International Yoga Day celebrations this morning, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The event received enormous attention both nationally and internationally.
The Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Complex, located on the banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar, was the venue for the event. The theme for this year is "Yoga for Self and Society," which highlights the importance of yoga in promoting societal harmony as well as personal well-being.
There were reports of moderate to heavy rainfall in the Kashmir Valley, and some rainfall was witnessed around Dal Lake. PM Modi did different yoga poses in the indoor hall with a smaller group of attendees, due to the weather.
The 30-minute yoga session, which was scheduled to start at 7 am got delayed due to the rain. Lieutenant Governo, Manoj Sinha and Ayush Minister Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav were also present among the attendees.
Over the years, PM Modi has led Yoga Day festivities at various famous sites, such as Chandigarh, Dehradun, Ranchi, Jabalpur, and Delhi's Kartavya Path. He led the activities at the UN headquarters in New York last year, which is expected to increase awareness of the Srinagar program.
Jammu and Kashmir made the headlines recently due to record turnouts during the recently concluded general election and the terror backlash that followed. Four attacks occurred in the Jammu region this month, including the attack on a bus full of pilgrims in Reasi district, which claimed to left 10 people dead.
There have been extensive security drills in and around Srinagar. The entire district has been placed on high alert. Every path leading to the SKICC has been the subject of simulated drills by the Special Protection Group. The function's venue, taken over two days before by the SPG of the prime minister's arrival, has been completely sanitized.
Apart from SPG, Navy Marco commandos are positioned near the SKICC. At Dal Lake, deep combing operations are often conducted. The area has been declared a "No-drone zone".
To commemorate the International Day of Yoga in 2024, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is organizing a unique initiative called 'Yoga for Space.' According to the rules of the Common Yoga Protocol, all ISRO scientists and officials shall practice yoga together.
The Gaganyaan project team also sets out to participate in International Yoga Day as a global movement by practicing yoga on this occasion.
After being elected for the third time, the prime minister is making his first trip to the valley and commenced his two-day visit to the valley on Thursday. At a youth gathering held on Thursday night at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Complex, he said that Jammu and Kashmir's statehood and assembly elections were "not far off".