The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) and the Ministry of AYUSH are gearing up for the International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2024, set to be celebrated on June 21. Secretary of I&B, Shri Sanjay Jaju, and Secretary of AYUSH, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, have overseen the planning for media and outreach activities.

Various media units under the Ministry of I&B are organizing programs to raise awareness about the Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) and the benefits of practicing Yoga. This includes initiatives by Press Information Bureau, Prasar Bharati, New Media Wing, and others.

Prasar Bharati, the Public Service Broadcaster, will broadcast programs through Doordarshan (DD) and All India Radio (AIR), featuring interviews with Yoga experts and special LIVE morning shows. Akashvani will collaborate with the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga to promote Yoga through its broadcasts. The Ministry of AYUSH has prepared a ‘Yoga Geet’ to be shared across all media platforms.

The Ministry of I&B will continue its initiative of rewarding private media organizations with the Antarashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman (AYDMS) to acknowledge their contribution to spreading the message of Yoga. The New Media Wing (NMW) will engage in social media activities like the ‘Yoga with Family’ contest and organizing a ‘Yoga Quiz – Guess the Aasan’. An IDY 2024 Podcast will also be released.

Various sessions, workshops, yoga camps, and seminars will be conducted by media units and organizations of the Ministry of I&B in the lead-up to IDY. The celebration of IDY has been growing every year since its recognition, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading efforts to promote Yoga globally. In 2023, the 9th International Day of Yoga saw a Guinness World Record set with participation from 135 nations. The event was celebrated at the UN headquarters and on a national level, including naval demonstrations, grassroots initiatives like ‘Har Aangan Yoga’, and coastal demonstrations termed ‘Yoga Sagarmala’. The estimated participation in IDY 2023 was 23.4 crore.