The 12th International Yoga Day celebration was organised in the ground in front of the Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi on Sunday.

Union Minister Prahlad Joshi inaugurated the event.

“Yoga has an important role in the field of medicine. By doing yogasanas daily, we can get rid of diseases in our body and keep our mind calm,” he said.

The event was organised in collaboration with the district administration, the Zilla Panchayat, the Belagavi Mahanagara Palike and the District AYUSH Department.

Mr. Joshi said that doing Yoga, an ancient Indian practice, is very necessary to maintain good health in today’s changing modern lifestyle.

“Yoga is essential to achieving excellence in our daily work in a competitive lifestyle and having the right knowledge of Yoga postures is equally important. Following the recommendation of the Union government, the United Nations has announced June 21 as International Yoga Day,” he said.

“It is an important day according to the Vedas and Upanishads. Yoga, which has a history of 5,000 years, has been accepted by more than 140 countries. Yoga is called the golden ring as it is being practised in some part of the world at any given time,” he said.

Mr. Joshi called upon everyone to incorporate yoga in their daily routine and move forward to build a strong health and a strong nation.

MLA Abhay Patil, Mayor Preeti Kamakar, Deputy Mayor Hanumatha Kongali, Deputy Commissioner Mohammed Roshan, Police Commissioner Borase Bhushan Gulabarao, Superintendent of Police K. Ramarajan, ZP CEO Rahul Shindhe, Corporation Commissioner Karthika M., trainee IAS officer Rohit Singh, District AYUSH officer Srikanth Sunadoli, students from various schools and colleges and Yoga enthusiasts participated.

International Yoga trainer Aarti Sankeshwari, international Yoga masters Satyam and Gayatri demonstrated various Yoga poses and explained their importance. Later, students from various schools presented cultural programmes.