International Yoga Day Rajasthan records biggest yoga gathering

June 21 is being observed as International Yoga Day every year, after the United Nations accepted India's proposal in 2014.

This year, the national event was held at Dehradun’s Forest Research Institute with the participation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mr. Modi highlighted the importance of yoga, a gift from India to the world. ''Yoga has the perfect solution to the problems we face, either as individuals or in society. Yoga is beautiful because it is ancient yet modern," he said.

Events were organised across the country, including Rajpath, where as many as 15,000 people took part in a mass yoga session headed by Union Minister Harsh Vardhan.

Rajasthan created a world record bringing over a lakh of people together at a yoga session to mark the International Day of Yoga.

Two representatives from Guinness World Records, watched as yoga guru Ramdev put the gathering, which included Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, through a series of 'asanas'. The organisation then handed over a certificate to Ms. Raje and Mr. Ramdev, saying it had been the largest gathering worldwide of people performing yoga.

The largest yoga lesson was achieved by the Government of Rajasthan, Patanjali Yogpeeth and District Administration at Kota, Rajasthan, India, on 21 June 2018, it said.

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje receive the Guinness World Record certificate for the lalrgest yoga session on the International Day of Yoga at Kota in Rajasthan on June 21, 2018.
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje receive the Guinness World Record certificate for the lalrgest yoga session on the International Day of Yoga at Kota in Rajasthan on June 21, 2018.   | Photo Credit: PTI

Cameras set up at the site and on drones determined that 1.05 lakh people performed the 'asanas', beating the previous record of 55, 524 people in Mysuru in 2017.

The yoga camp started at 5 a.m. and the 15 exercises that were part of the protocol for setting a record were performed from 6.30 a.m. to 7 a.m.

Ms. Raje announced plans to set up a yoga centre with an ‘acharya’ to coach people at each district headquarters.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar did not participate in the International Yoga Day event, which was inaugurated by Governor Satya Pal Malik and attended by top BJP leaders, including Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, setting tongues wagging whether things were alright in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Both the JD(U) and the BJP, however, tried to downplay the issue.

The JD(U) said Mr. Kumar had been practising yoga daily, even before June 21 was declared as the International Day of Yoga by the United Nations in 2015, adding that “it would be wrong to attach any political meaning to personal decisions.“

PM Narendra Modi posts video of his morning exercises, inspires others to take up fitness challenge

Less than a month after accepting Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli's fitness challenge, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday posted a video which shows him doing a number of exercises in the morning to 'refresh and rejuvenate' himself.

PM Modi, known to practice yoga regularly, is seen performing a number of asanas which appeared to vary in degrees of difficulty. Additionally, he also is seen practising breathing exercises which are known to improve the body's immunity - among several other benefits.

Most interestingly though, 67-year-old PM Modi can be seen walking on a track which he said was inspired by the five elements of nature. "Apart from Yoga, I walk on a track inspired by the Panchtatvas or 5 elements of nature - Prithvi, Jal, Agni, Vayu, Aakash. This is extremely refreshing and rejuvenating," he wrote in a message accompanying the video.

Here are moments from my morning exercises. Apart from Yoga, I walk on a track inspired by the Panchtatvas or 5 elements of nature - Prithvi, Jal, Agni, Vayu, Aakash. This is extremely refreshing and rejuvenating. I also practice
breathing exercises.

The video posted by PM Modi was him fulfilling his promise of showcasing his exercise regime. He had accepted the challenge thrown at him by Kohli who had also challenged his wife Anushka Sharma and fellow Team India cricketer MS Dhoni.

The government has been urging people at large to adopt a healthy lifestyle and do some form of exercise on a daily basis. Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore had initially challenged Kohli as part of  HumFitTohIndiaFit campaign. Since, many celebrities and public figures have posted photos and videos of them doing exercises - urging fellow citizens to become active as well.

PM Narendra Modi praises Afghan President's bold initiatives towards peace

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi today praised Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani's bold initiatives towards peace and expressed hope that it will be respected by all parties, referring to a ceasefire announced by the Afghan leader for Eid.

Speaking at the restricted session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, Prime Minister Modi also promised that India will play an active role in the contact group for Afghanistan under the SCO banner.

"Afghanistan is an unfortunate example of effect of extremism and terrorism. I hope the bold initiatives towards peace taken by President Ghani will be respected by all parties," Modi said at the summit, also attended by Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain.

Modi was referring to the Afghan government's surprise announcement of the week-long ceasefire with the Taliban for Eid.

The ceasefire will last from the 27th of Ramadan until the fifth day of Eid-al-Fitr, President Ghani had tweeted last week, indicating it could run from June 12-19.

Responding to Ghani's announcement, the Taliban yesterday announced the suspension of fighting for the first three days of Eid - the first ceasefire by the militant group in Afghanistan since the 2001 US invasion.
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PM Modi, Pak President shake hands at SCO Summit

Qingdao (China), Jun 10 () Prime Minister Narendra Modi today shook hands with Pakistan's President Mamnoon Hussain and had a brief chat with him at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit here.

The two leaders, who are here to attend the 18th SCO Summit, shook hands after signing of agreements between the members states of the eight nation bloc.
The relations between India and Pakistan had strained after an attack on an army camp in Uri by Pakistan-based terror organisations in 2016. The ties took a severe hit post-sentencing of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav by a military court in April last year.

India had also boycotted the 19th SAARC Summit after the Uri attack. The summit scheduled to be held in Islamabad in 2016 was postponed.

India has been raising the issue of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in various multilateral forums with an aim to build pressure on Islamabad to dismantle the terror infrastructure operating from that country.

Government Promises Adequate Circulation As RBI Blames Logistical Reasons For Dry ATMs Across Country

The government and the Reserve Bank of India said on Tuesday they will ensure there is an adequate amount of cash in circulation, following reports that banks' automated teller machines (ATMs) had run out of notes in different parts of the country.

The RBI said it had ramped up printing of notes despite having sufficient cash in its vaults and currency chests.

"As a matter of abundant precaution, RBI is also taking steps to move currency to areas which are witnessing unusually large cash withdrawals," the central bank said in a statement late on Tuesday.

Cash withdrawals in India go up during the crop harvest season, which is usually during March to April, and then during the festival season in October. But there has been an unusual rise in currency demand in the last three months.

That is a source of worry for policymakers because a sustained heavy currency withdrawal suggests people may be hoarding cash again.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had ordered a shock ban on high-value currency notes in late 2016, in a move aimed at flushing out hoarded cash and curbing the funding of terrorism.

"The total stock of currency has come down but still we have notes worth more than two trillion rupees ($30 billion) in stock which is more than sufficient," said the government's economic affairs secretary Subhash Chandra Garg.

Currency withdrawal by individuals during January-March 2018 was at 1.4 trillion rupees, sharply higher than 1.1 trillion rupees in the same quarter of 2016, according to Reserve Bank of India data. The March 2017 quarter data is not comparable as the RBI was in the process of re-injecting currency notes after the so-called demonetisation in November 2016.