Guwahati, June 21 (IANS) Assam on Tuesday celebrated the second International Yoga Day along with the rest of the world with the state government announcing that at least one yoga development centre will be set up in each development block.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal participated in the official International Yoga Day function at Majuli, a large river island in the Brahmaputra River that is also his constituency.
He was joined by Health and Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and thousands of school students and people from other walks of life.
It was Sonowal's first visit to the island after becoming Chief Minister last month.
The yoga events organised elsehwere in Assam also attracted large participation.
Sonowal told the gathering at Majuli that yoga helps to build not only healthy body and mind but also moulds the personality of the practitioner.
"For inculcating discipline and punctuality and grooming of personality, the world has realised the importance of yoga," he said.
He said the state government is committed to making Assam a developed and prosperous state in the country and yoga will have a role to play in that transformation.
"For making Assam a developed state, we have to be disciplined, punctual and hard working. Sri Sri Sankaradeva and Sri Sri Madhabdeva tried to bring about major transformation in the state through yoga. We have to follow their ideals to attain our avowed goals," he said.
Health and Education Minister Sarma announced government's decision to set up yoga development centres in more than 300 development blocks across the state.
"These centres will help to inculcate scientific temperament by imparting yoga knowledge to the youth," Sarma said.
He said the International Day of Yoga is being observed at the state, district, sub-divisional, block and panchayat levels across the state.
Chief Minister Sonowal praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his effort to popularise yoga across the world.
"This is a matter of pride for 125 crore Indians. Our prime minister deserves encomiums for prevailing upon the United Nations to observe June 21 as the International Day of Yoga," Sonowal said.
He also credited Modi with taking bold and innovative initiatives to push India on the path of development and securing for the country a pride of place in the comity of nations.
"People are reaping the fruits of development because the present central government is committed, responsive and people-oriented one," he said.
