Mann Ki Baat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi urges India to get fit with yoga

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a fan of 'Chai Pe Charcha' (discussions over tea), had turned the concept into reality in October 2014 with 'Mann ki Baat', a live radio address he makes to the entire nation every Sunday since inception.

During the most recent episode, Modi exhorted the importance of fitness and health, owing to requests and recommendations he received over letters and e-mails from the public. He gave this clarion call while replying to a suggestion on MyGov.in given by Yogesh Bhadresa, who called for greater focus on fitness and health among the people of India.

"To lead a healthy life, it is vital to maintain hygiene; country’s sanitation coverage almost doubled to 80 percent. Yoga guarantees fitness as well as wellness, it has become a global mass movement today," Modi said, while introducing the 'Fit India' movement.

In contemporary times of stress and lifestyle diseases, fitness is a key part of wellness and plays an important role in keeping us healthy, preventing diseases and ensuring a better quality of life.

The ‘Fit India’ movement provides a unique and exciting opportunity to work towards a healthier India. As a part of the movement, individuals and organisations can undertake various efforts for their own health and well-being as well as for the health and well-being of fellow Indians.

Fitness does not mean only physical fitness, but also means mental strength and emotional equanimity. The best to achieve all three together, as Modi has often maintained, is yoga.

Yoga has to be made popular among youth, senior citizens, men and women from all age groups through interesting way, he said. In the health sector, the nation has now moved ahead from conventional approach. "Over the past four years, the sanitation coverage has nearly doubled and is close (80 percent)," Modi said.

He then shifted focus to healthcare and announced that more than 3,000 'Jan Aushadhi Kendras' have been opened across the country and more than 800 medicines are being made available at an affordable price.

He said,

More such centres are being opened. I appeal to the listeners of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ to provide this information about Jan Anshadhi Kendras to the needy ones – it will cut their expense on medicines. This will be a big help to them.

He added that new institutions of All India Institutes of Medical Sciences are being opened in different states with an objective to provide better treatment and health facilities to people across the country.

"One new medical college will be set up for every three districts. A target has been fixed to make the country tuberculosis-free by 2025. This is an enormous task. Your cooperation is needed to create public awareness. All of us will need to make united efforts to become TB-free," he said.