Minister of Agriculture Uttarakhand, Subodh Uniyal, President (All India Akhada Council) Narendra Giri, Chairman, Patanjali Yogpeeth, Acharya Balakrishna inaugurated the seven-day long International Yog Festival 2021 on 01st March. The festival is being jointly organized by Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) and Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN).

Calling Rishikesh the motherland of yoga, Uniyal while addressing the gathering, said, “We are here at Rishikesh to celebrate our age-old practice of yoga. The aim of yoga is not only to keep us fit, but also to end the evil within human beings.”

Talking about how the whole world is accepting yoga, irrespective of caste and creed and how yoga has helped us during the pandemic, Chairman, Patanjali Yogpeeth, Acharya Balakrishna, said, “Yoga has played a very vital role in boosting immunity especially during the time of Covid. The regular practice of yoga has helped us in keeping diseases at bay, yoga is also a cure for many diseases.”

Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) Managing Director Dr Ashish Chauhan informed that all classroom arrangements have been made following the guidelines of the Covid-19 issued by the Government of India and the state government. Nearly 350 participants were registered on the first day of the event. Adding further he said that Masterchef Pankaj Bhadoria will be joining the event and will be taking a session on the importance of healthy food. Along with this, a food competition will also be organized during the event.