Lucknow likely to host main International Day of Yoga function

NEW DELHI: Lucknow is likely to host the main event of the International Day of Yoga ( IDY) celebrations in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate.

The Ayush Ministry is learnt to have proposed Lucknow as the venue for the main function for IDY celebrations this year and is waiting for the final nod from the Prime Minister's Office.

"The ministry zeroed in on Lucknow as the possible venue at a review meeting held last week on the preparations for the IDY which is observed on June 21. We are now awaiting the PM's nod in this regard," a source in the ministry said.

Earlier, the government was considering Bhopal, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Ranchi and Bengaluru as the possible venues for the event.

The ministry is also planning to organise one major yoga event in at least one city in each district across the country.

"It could well be more than one city in a district which means the celebrations will take place in over 700 places across the country this year," a source in the Ministry said.

Also, around 150 countries are expected to participate in the event. The Indian Missions in those countries are coordinating the activities to be held on the day.

"IDY will be observed in some of the major landmarks like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Trafalgar Square in London and the Central Gardens in New York among others," the source said.

The first IDY celebration was organised at Rajpath in New Delhi on June 21, 2015 in which representatives of 191 countries had participated. Last year, the main function took place in Chandigarh.

The United Nations General Assembly, heeding to a call by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, made a declaration in December 2014 to observe June 21 every year as IDY.