Vijayawada: The11th International Yoga Day will be celebrated in Visakhapatnam on June 21, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending as the chief guest, announced Chief Secretary K Vijayanand during a preliminary review meeting with officials at the CS Camp Office here on Wednesday.
The State government is gearing up to host the event under the theme “Yoga for One Earth, One Health,” expecting around two lakh participants in collaboration with the Union Ministry of AYUSH, Art of Living, Isha Foundation, Yoga Sports Association, universities, and other organisations.
This year’s celebrations mark the 11th edition, with Visakhapatnam chosen as the venue during Modi’s visit to Amaravati on May 2.
The Andhra Pradesh government has initiated “Yogandhra-2025,” a state-wide campaign to educate people about yoga’s benefits.
A four-week action plan will commence on May 29, featuring yoga awareness drives at the district level (May 29–June 4), assembly constituency level (June 5–11), village level (June 12–16), and educational institutions (June 17–20).
The Chief Secretary emphasised the need for meticulous arrangements to ensure the event’s success, appointing Special Chief Secretary of Medical and Health MT Krishnababu as the state-level nodal officer. He directed officials to involve students from Class 8 to postgraduate levels in Visakhapatnam, along with AYUSH Mission representatives, yoga instructors, sports associations, PETs, coaches, and central government institutions.
Union AYUSH Ministry Secretary Rajesh, joining virtually from Delhi, confirmed that event management details will be finalised soon, with two lakh T-shirts and yoga mats to be supplied to the state. He assured full support to ensure the event’s success.
Krishnababu, in a PowerPoint presentation, outlined plans for accommodating two lakh participants and noted that the venue in Visakhapatnam is yet to be finalized.
Principal Secretary Mukesh Kumar Meena, Commissioner of Medical Health and Family Welfare Veerapandian, and Director of AYUSH Dinesh Kumar participated.
Principal Secretary of PR & RD Shashi Bhushan Kumar, Secretary of Education K Shashidhar, CRDA Commissioner K Kannababu, Secretary of IT K Bhaskar, and Secretary of Youth Services Vinay Chand, Visakhapatnam district collector Harindra Prasad joined the review meeting virtually.
