AP Govt to Launch 14-Day ‘Yogandhra-2026’ Campaign from June 7 ; One-Cr Participants Targeted
AMARAVATI, May 30 (TNT): Andhra Pradesh will launch a 14-day statewide yoga campaign from June 7 as part of the Yogandhra-2026 initiative, with the State Government targeting participation of one crore people from village to State level ahead of International Yoga Day on June 21.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday reviewed preparations for the programme with ministers and officials and directed them to organise the campaign on a grand scale across the State.
Officials presented the roadmap for Yogandhra-2026, under which yoga activities will be conducted for 14 days across districts, educational institutions, government offices, parks, Swarna Ward offices and Swarna Gramam offices.
A state-level yoga event involving 25,000 participants will be held in Amaravati, with the Chief Minister taking part. The main International Yoga Day programme on June 21 will be organised on the Krishna River bridge in the Amaravati Capital Region, constructed as part of the West Bypass Road project.
Simultaneously, district-level yoga programmes involving 1,000 participants each will be conducted at district headquarters in the presence of ministers and senior officials.
The Chief Minister directed officials to ensure yoga activities are organised across all departments and administrative levels, with an overall target of one crore participants statewide.
To support the initiative, the government will train an additional one lakh yoga instructors, supplementing the existing network of 1.5 lakh trained yoga practitioners and instructors across the State.
Officials said the campaign would be organised under the theme “One District, One Theme”, with the government allocating Rs 25 lakh to each district for conducting Yogandhra activities.
The programme will be implemented through coordination among the Health, Human Resources, Municipal Administration, Panchayat Raj, Endowments and Information Technology departments.
As part of the initiative, special yoga sessions will be held at 56 tourist destinations across Andhra Pradesh, with two major locations identified in each district. Yoga programmes involving 500 participants will be conducted daily in two districts at selected tourist sites.
The government will also present awards for outstanding Yogandhra programmes at village, mandal, constituency, district and State levels.
State Government Yoga and Naturopathy Adviser Manthena Satyanarayana Raju unveiled the campaign’s promotional initiative and briefed the Chief Minister on awareness and training programmes planned for the event.
He said 90 yoga asana videos, special yoga modules covering 21 health conditions, daily practice routines, seven pranayama training videos and question-and-answer videos on yoga would be made available to the public through digital platforms.
The content will be promoted through media, social media and online channels to encourage public participation and awareness, he added.
TNT KM
