New Delhi, June 21, 2015

Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State (I/c) Petroleum & Natural Gas launched the observance of first International Yoga Day at Cuttack, Odisha today where more than one thousand people including officials from various walks of life participated.

Envisioned by the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi and later overwhelmingly passed by the United Nation through a resolution, the first International Yoga Day evoked a phenomenal response across the globe.

Addressing the gathering at the Cuttack Indoor Stadium, Mr. Pradhan emphasized on the importance of yoga in our daily life. He also underscored the need for incorporating yoga as an integral part of our life in order to achieve a healthy and prosperous life as well as a strong nation.

"Today is a proud day for all of us when more than 190 countries are observing International Yoga Day, conceptualized by our visionary Prime Minister. Yoga, an ancient knowledge of this great country and enriched through ages of experiments, has been recognized today as the best technique towards making a healthy body and mind," he said.

Mr. Pradhan also advised all the oil companies under MoPNG to encourage their employees and family members to imbibe Yoga as part of life. A concrete roadmap needs to be drawn to sensitize people about how Yoga can make a difference in an individual's life, he added.

The State-run Public Sector Undertakings under the MoPNG had also observed International Yoga Day in their respective work centres across the country in which their employees and family members had participated in large numbers.

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