Coming soon: Yoga and pranayam camp for babus, Policemen are the first bakras

The new Narendra Modi led government is not only particular about office timings but is also concerned about the health of government officials. Things started changing at with biometric attendance in place in most of the government offices, forcing employees to reach office on time and latecomers are not spared either with  CCTV cameras adding to the vigilance. But now the government is getting strict about healthcare too. While the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) had issued a circular earlier this year urging the Central Government employees to attend a week-long yoga workshop in New Delhi, it seems now that the police personnel may be the first to get to practice yoga and pranayam( meditation) on a regular basis at work. [caption id=“attachment_266335” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational Image. Reuters[/caption] Modi, who is known as a fitness freak, wakes up by 5am every day and begins his day with an hour-long yoga session. He then catches up with the news before settling down for a session of meditation to prepare for a long day that often ends only at midnight. During his address at the UN General Assembly in September, he even called for observing an International Yoga Day. So it’s not surprising that he would want his officials to also make yoga a part of their habitual repertoire. According to a report in the Economic Times, AYUSH, the nodal agency for Ayurveda and other alternative medicines has been urged to start a pilot of yoga modules for policemen, which will later be worked out for other government officials. In September, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan also said that the National Health Policy will have primary emphasis on the principles of Ayurveda and the Allopathy-centric focus of AIIMS-like institutes will have to accommodate Ayurveda. Ever since Vardhan took charge as health minister, he has reiterated his commitment to bring the alternative systems of medicine into the mainstream. He has also voiced his appreciation of Ramdev’s work in the field of yoga. And following Modi’s speech to adopt an International Yoga Day as many as 50 countries including US, Canada, China have signed up for co-sponsorship of a draft resolution which India’s UN mission is preparing for declaring June 21 as international Yoga day. India’s UN mission is preparing a draft resolution to declare June 21 as International Yoga day and nearly 50 countries have signed up for co-sponsorship of the draft.