Felicitating 264 outstanding performers of the ‘Surya Namaskar 2025’ campaign, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday said that the state government aims to make Haryana a model state not only in agriculture and industry but also in health. "Yoga is a key tool in achieving this goal and is being taught in schools, colleges, and universities," he said.
Speaking at a Yoga Mahotsav organised in Panchkula, he said that the participation of Yoga institutions, Ayush Yoga Sahayak, educational institutions, jail department, police, army, and paramilitary forces in the Surya Namaskar campaign is a matter of pride.
He said that Haryana is the only state where Yoga is part of the curriculum, mandatory from Classes 1 to 12. Besides this, 25,000 education department personnel have been trained as Yoga teachers. The Haryana Yog Aayog has been established to promote Yoga. Shri Krishna Ayush University has been set up in Kurukshetra for promoting Yoga and Ayurveda, he said.
On the occasion, Saini also announced a financial assistance of Rs 3 lakh each from his discretionary fund to the families of Ayush Yoga Sahayak who died in accidents during service. He also announced that the registration of Yoga and Naturopathy practitioners will begin this year.
He said that Yoga has already been included in the curriculum from Classes 1 to 10 in Haryana schools. Taking a step further, exams will now be held for Yoga, Sports, and other such subjects, which will also become part of the formal curriculum. This initiative will inspire children to understand and adopt Yoga from a young age, he said.
To enhance transparency in the Ayush Department, the Chief Minister launched three portals: E-Marketplace Portal, Ayush Medicine Inventory Portal, and E-Medicine Licensing Portal. The E-Marketplace Portal will enable farmers and suppliers of medicinal plants to register and sell their products directly. The inventory portal will allow officials to monitor demand and stock, and the licensing portal will streamline the application process for new and renewed licenses. The Chief Minister said the Yoga Mahotsav holds special significance as it comes just 25 days before the 10th International Yoga Day 2025.
He said that the National Institute of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy has been established in Panchkula and a Postgraduate Yoga and Naturopathy Research Institute in Deverkhana, Jhajjar, where OPD services have started.
The government is committed to establishing vyayamshalas in all 6,500 villages of the state, with 1,121 sites identified and construction completed at 714. A total of 877 Ayush Yoga Sahayak have been appointed. Under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, all Ayurvedic dispensaries are being upgraded to Ayush Health and Wellness Centres. So far, 506 have been upgraded, and 126 Yoga Instructors appointed.