New Delhi: Education minister Ashish Sood on Saturday said Delhi govt would, for the first time, officially host International Yoga Day on June 21 by organising events at 11 different locations.Reviewing the preparations for the Yoga Day celebrations and the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0 campaign, the minister said the celebrations would be held at 11 stadiums and sports complexes across the city, including Chhatrasal and Thyagaraj stadiums. “The primary objective of this initiative is to promote physical and mental wellness while encouraging the practice of yoga among students, teachers and the community. Nearly 20,000 participants are expected to join, including students and teachers from Delhi govt schools, yoga instructors, NSS and NCC cadets, and civil defence volunteers,” Sood said.The minister said Chhatrasal Stadium would be the main venue, where around 10,000 participants would engage in yoga practice, supported by 5,000 volunteers from Bharatiya Yog Sansthan. Each of the other 10 venues will host approximately 1,000 participants. All participants will be provided with T-shirts, water, refreshments and yoga mats. Each venue will be equipped with medical facilities, ambulances, fire safety arrangements, mobile toilets, sanitation, fogging, electricity and water supply, he added.Delhi Police will handle security and traffic management. All major venues will feature CCTV surveillance, traffic signage, colour-coded parking passes (red, green, yellow), and special arrangements for emergency services. “District magistrates have been directed to ensure participant transportation, safety, refreshment distribution, and availability of yoga mats and T-shirts in their respective areas. They have also been instructed to invite schools, colleges, community leaders, yoga instructors and heads of govt offices to participate and promote yoga. The event will be broadcast live on edudel.nic.in,” Sood said.Speaking of the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0 campaign, the minister described it as a unique initiative combining environmental protection with honouring motherhood. As part of this campaign, chief minister Rekha Gupta will plant a sapling at Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya in Shalimar Bagh on June 9. “The campaign supports Government of India’s target of planting 10 crore (100 million) saplings. Complementing this, Delhi govt aims to plant 3.7 lakh saplings in 2025-26, including 1 lakh trees, 2 lakh shrubs and 70,000 bamboo plants in schools, near main roads and in large parks,” Sood said.
