The Ayush Ministry has approached the country’s premier space agency ISRO for satellite imagery of the countrywide events between 7 am and 8 am on International Day of Yoga (IDY), to be observed on June 21. The ministry has sought ISRO’s assistance to get an estimate of Yoga enthusiasts who would perform at various venues on that day, an official of the ministry said. Last year, 18 to 20 formal events had taken place and an estimated 7.5 crore people has performed Yoga. The ministry is also developing a yoga protocol for women above 40 in consultation with Indian Menopause Society, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ayush Shripad Yesso Naik said.

According to a senior ministry official, women above 40 are an invisible demographic group and every family in India has a woman of this age who is a care-giver to around five to six people. “Their health issues never come to the fore. So the ministry has collaborated with the Indian Menopause Society to develop protocols for 40 plus women to help them deal with various health related issues like stress, menopause symptoms, osteoarthritis and geriatric ailments,” the official said.

“In today’s hectic life where stress has become synonymous with lifestyle, yoga is the way forward to live a balanced and peaceful life,” he said and appealed to people not to restrict yoga to a one-day event and make it a daily habit. The main even on the International Yoga Day will be held at Forest Research Institute grounds in Dehradun in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate.

Secretary in the Ministry of Ayush, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha said the ministry has already initiated a country-wide mobilisation for taking up appropriate and specific activities for observing the IDY-2018, through a series of communications. Different central ministries and departments, state governments, gram pradhans (of about 2.5 lakh villages), yoga institutes, educational institutes, chambers of commerce, municipal bodies and others have been provided with suggested lists of activities. Kotecha said the count-down to the main event also incorporates a sustained campaign through social media platforms.