Monday, June 29, 2015

MTP

Proposed law set to allow abortion up to 24 weeks
Sushmi Dey,TNN | Jun 29, 2015, 02.30 AM IST

NEW DELHI: Fresh fears about risks to women's health by allowing Ayush doctors to conduct abortion and ambiguity on the proposed extension of gestation period may force the government to keep the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) amendment bill out of Parliament in the upcoming monsoon session.

Already embroiled in a debate on patient safety versus access to healthcare with the addition of ayurvedacharyas, homoeopaths and nurses to conduct MTP, the bill is now witnessing a new dispute with a recent a study in an international journal pointing towards "contradictory" amendments to the law posing risk to women's health.

However, putting aside concerns over the proposed changes to the 1971 law, authorities involved in drafting the new law said the proposed amendments would extend the gestation period from 20 weeks to 24 weeks for "special categories", which is likely to include single women with unwanted pregnancy, disabled and other vulnerable women.

Besides, the law would also allow abortion any time during the pregnancy for "selective" foetal abnormality, which cannot be detected during the 20-week gestation period.

Currently, the law allows medical abortion till 20 weeks of pregnancy.

"A law is an Act of Parliament. Once the amendment bill is passed in Parliament, the ministry will frame rules to define each and every category. Clarity will come with rules," an official said. He added that even in case of allowing Ayush doctors to conduct medical termination of pregnancy, rules will ensure such doctors or paramedical staff receive "required training".

In a recent study published in British Medical Journal (BMJ), Mumbai-based consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology Nikhil Datar said the proposed amendments to the abortion law were "contradictory" and needed "urgent redrafting".

He said among the proposed changes were that for terminations between 20 and 24 weeks' gestation, a woman must fall into one of the "categories" defined by the government. Yet, the draft legislation did not define the "categories" and did not provide a clear solution to a woman who has a substantial foetal abnormality but who is not included in any "category".

Besides, Datar also raised objection to inclusion of Ayush doctors for abortion, saying it could lead to unsafe abortions.

However, public health experts said Datar had misunderstood the proposed changes which came with ample safeguards in favour of women so that the abortion law was not misused.

"Expansion of the provider base along with amendment to extend the gestation period will bring incredible benefits to women's life as well as her rights," said Vinoj Manning, executive director, IPAS India, a non-profit organization that works to increase women's ability to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights, and to reduce maternal mortality.

According to Manning, the amendments would increase women's access to safe abortion and, therefore, the government should attempt to pass the bill in Parliament at the earliest.

On opposition from allopathic doctors on inclusion of Ayush doctors to conduct abortion, Manning said technology for abortion had become simpler now with tablets replacing invasive procedures. "The law must keep pace with technology and rationalize its use," he said.

Several countries allow trained nurses to conduct abortion.

Estimates show that around 7 million abortions are conducted every year in India, of which 50% are illegal. The rate of maternal deaths attributed to complications from unsafe abortions is estimated at 8%.

Sunday, June 28, 2015

AYUSH in ManN ki BaaT

Modi hails AYUSH Ministry for making Yoga Day event a success, calls his government 'Kaam Karti Sarkar'
New Delhi: Appreciating the work done by the Centre, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called his government 'Kaam Karti Sarkar'. In the ninth edition of his radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat', Modi thanked people and hailed the AYUSH Ministry for making the International Yoga Day a hit across the world.

"'Kaam Karti Sarkar' - this is how I see events of the past few days," said Modi
Staying away from the controversies surrounding his ministers, Modi's address focussed on International Yoga Day and his government's schemes.

The Yoga Day event was celebrated on June 21 with the national capital entering the guinness world record with 35,985 people performing various asanas at one venue and 84 nationalities being part of it. "Rajpath became 'Yogpath' on World Yoga Day. World Yoga Day tells us that the world is curious to know about India and we must tell the world about our culture, we have to be proud of our culture."

The Yoga Day event was managed by AYUSH Minister Sripad Naik and the Prime Minister appreciated the efforts put in by the ministry to make it a huge success.
Listing the schemes launched by his government and it success, Modi said, "When Jan Dhan Accounts had to be opened the bank employees became very active and did the work."

Modi also urged the people to take benefit of the three social security schemes launched by his government in related to the insurance and pension sector and intended at widening the process of financial inclusion. The Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana provides accident and disability cover, the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and the Atal Pension Yojana are the life insurance schemes.

Giving social security scheme as a gift to sisters on Raksha Bandhan, Modi said, "Last month we launched 3 social security schemes. In a short time more than 10 crore people can benefit from these schemes. On Raksha Bandhan can we present these schemes worth Rs 12 or Rs 330 to our sisters? Can we do a jan andolan ahead of Raksha bandhan? Let's support the women in our lives."

Modi also mentioned efforts put in by the sarpanch of Haryana's Bibipur village to carry forward his 'Beti Bachao, Beti padhao' campaign by starting a 'Selfie with daughter' campaign online.

Modi urged people to 'use 'Selfie with daughter' as hashtag and a tagline for Beti Bachao Beti Padhao'.

Haryana is also one of the states where sex ratio is dismally low.


He said the AYUSH department of the government was almost unknown to people until the Yoga Day initiatives were led by it.

There is AYUSH department but it never drew much attention. On Yoga Day it was the AYUSH department that led the way, he said.



PM Narendra Modi's charge incorrect, Ayush did maximum work under UPA: Congress

NEW DELHI: Former Union Health Minister and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad today dismissed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's criticism that not much work had been done by the Ministry of Ayush in the past, saying the PM had not done enough research before making such a remark.

"I used to believe the Prime Minister speaks after doing a lot of research. But I found his research to be zero. Under the UPA government, the Ministry of Ayush did maximum work and also got its new building cons ..
Azad told reporters.

Training guns at the NDA government, Azad claimed that the allocation for the Ministry had dwindled during the one-year rule of BJP.

Azad also released a "list of achievements" of the Ministry during 2009-2014 when he headed the department.

Among the achievements, he said grant-in-aid amounting to Rs 623.93 crore was given to states/Union Territories for establishment of Ayush facilities in 803 additional primary health centres, 113 community centre .. and 24 district hospitals during the span
Thirty-eight government-aided colleges/institutions were given grant-in-aid amounting to Rs 85.16 crore for upgrading their infrastructure, he added.

Azad said the Ministry had also given permission to start nine new Ayurveda and one Unani medical colleges during the period, while additional 600 and 1,394 seats were permitted in undergraduate and postgraduate courses respectively in existing 125 Ayurveda and Siddha and Unani medical colleges.


Under the UPA, he said, the ministry focused on research on diseases which were of national health importance.


The Pharmacopoeia Commission of Indian Medicines (PCIM) was also set up to develop the Pharmacopoeial Standards of Ayurveda, Siddha Unani drugs, etc even as several schemes were introduced, Azad said.

In his radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat', the PM said the ministry did not draw much attention in the past, but it led the way during the first International Yoga Day on June 21.

"Now imagine. Ayush is a small department in the government to which nobody paid any attention earlier... But on Yoga Day, it led and organised such a big event. So, if a target is fixed, even small unit can do big things," he said.




 


Friday, June 26, 2015

ayush in president house

President to open AYUSH centre at Rashtrapati Bhavan
Smriti Kak Ramachandran

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message to popularise ancient Indian medicine practices has found resonance with Rashtrapati Bhavan.

On July 25, President Pranab Mukherjee will begin his fourth year in office with the inauguration of an AYUSH wellness centre that will be run from a heritage building in the President’s Estate.

Being set up in collaboration with the Ministry of AYUSH, the wellness centre will offer elaborate and therapeutic services, including mud baths and oil massages, physiotherapy and yoga to de-stress the mind and body.

The services at the centre, being housed in an old circular building which is currently being renovated, will be offered to residents of the sprawling President’s Estate, said Omita Paul, Secretary to the President.

The decision to open the centre has not been taken after the recent show of India’s “soft power”, Yoga, at the international level, but is the culmination of a proposal that has been in the pipeline.

The centre is Mr. Mukherjee’s way of lending “his passion and support” to the ancient forms of medicine.

While the President is fond of taking long walks in the immaculately laid out Mughal Gardens, his predecessor APJ Abdul Kalam had introduced a herbal garden.

Mr. Mukherjee’s fourth year in office will also include a host of functions such as the biggest-ever conference of 114 institutions of higher learning.

The President is Visitor to these institutions and has in the past hosted annual conferences of Vice-Chancellors of Central Universities and started in-residence programmes for artists, students, writers, teachers and grassroots entrepreneurs.

A conference of Indologists in collaboration with Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) is also in the works.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

5,000 cr with over 250,000 practising doctors




Homeopathy industry seeks statutory body for clinical trials

Homeopathic pharma market in India is around Rs 5,000 cr with over 250,000 practising doctors
Sohini Das | Ahmedabad June 23, 2015 Last Updated at 20:59 IST
Image via Shutterstock

In a bid to promote research and innovation of drugs, the homeopathy industry now seeks an independent statutory body that would have sufficient jurisdiction to sanction new clinical trials.

According to Rajesh Shah, director of Homeopathy India Foundation, while the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) is supposed to look after homeopathic medicines too, there is no clarity or no clear mechanism that would approve a new drug discovery. "There is also no adequate infrastructure in the country at the moment that would encourage and support homeopathic research. As a result, not many new homeopathic medicines have been discovered in the last century," he claimed.

Shah also added that patents are granted for newer forms of homeopathic medicines in countries like US, Australia and the EU.

The Homeopathy India Foundation (HIF) feels that an independent statutory body should come up under the ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) that would be able to provide guidelines for clinical research to develop new drugs in homeopathy.

The HIF plans to meet Shripad Y Naik, minister of state (independent charge) and submit the recommendations and the requirements of the homeopathic industry in the country. While a total budget of Rs 70 crore is sanctioned to the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH), an autonomous organisation under Ayush ministry, according to sources, the total funds are not utilised often. "Around Rs 15 crore of funds remained unutilised last year. This is because there is not enough sensitisation among scientists from various disciplines to work on homeopathic medicines," said a source in CCRH.

Primarily a research body, CCRH has a multi-dimensional approach to research and its research activities include 'Survey, collection and cultivation of medicinal plants', 'Drug standardisation', 'Drug proving', 'Clinical verification' and 'Clinical research'. Besides, CCRH also collaborates with other research bodies for researches.

The size of the homeopathic pharma market is around Rs 5,000 crore with over 250,000 practising homeopath doctors in the country.

kerala-----------Ayurveda brand ambassador

Kerala has appointed Tennis great Steffi Graf as its Ayurveda brand ambassador. The decision was taken in a cabinet meet on Saturday.

The state government hopes the 46-year-old tennis legend's huge global fan following will be big boost for Ayurveda promotion worldwide. The Kerala tourism department was given sanction to sign an agreement with Graf to become Ayurveda brand ambassador as part of the department's 'Visit Kerala Scheme', Kerala CM Oommen Chandy said.

The tourism department had already held discussions and reached an agreement with the German former World number one tennis player.

The 46-year-old Graf, who retired in 1999, married former World No 1 men's tennis player Andre Agassi in October 2001.

Kerala's Ayurveda, an ancient system of health care which is famous for its holistic effect on body and mind, attracts large number of people from the country and abroad every year.

In 1988, Graf became the first and the only tennis player to have won the all four Grand Slam singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year.

Monday, June 22, 2015

yoga and guiness record


India sets two Guiness records with yoga event at Delhi's Rajpath
Moushumi Das Gupta, Hindustan Times, New Delhi|
Updated: Jun 22, 2015 10:57 IST

The Narendra Modi government’s Yoga Day event in Delhi broke two world records on Sunday but it will have to wait for more than a year before officially gaining an entry into the Guinness book.

Officials said the showcase yoga programme at Rajpath saw the largest number of participants at 35,985 people and the most number of participating nationalities (84).

“The deadline for this year’s book has passed so the record won’t appear on the book until September 2016 at the earliest. We receive 40,000 record applications per year and our editorial team decides which 3,800 records appear in the book based on a number of factors,” Doug Male, the Guinness World Records public relations manager told HT in an email late in the evening, in response to a questionnaire.

The ministry of ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha and homeopathy (AYUSH), which was in-charge of Modi’s pet project, had already set its sights on breaking the previous world record that was set in 2005, when 29,973 students from 362 schools performed yoga at a Gwalior university.

“It is a matter of pride for India that we have broken two records on one day,” minister of AYUSH, Shripad Naik, told reporters, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated all for the successful record event.

Modi, an avid yoga practitioner for many years, led the event at Delhi's Rajpath early in the morning by joining the huge gathering in performing asanas.

The entire 2-km stretch from Rafi Marg crossing near Vijay Chowk to India Gate was lined with blue and red mats over green carpets with people of all ages performing various yoga exercises.

The event broke the earlier record set on November 19, 2005, when 29,973 students from 362 schools had performed a sequence of 'yogic kriyas' for surya namaskar simultaneously for 18 minutes led by Vivekananda Kendra at Jiwaji University Gwalior.

The awards were received by Ayush Minister Shripad Yesso Naik from representatives of Guinness World Records -- Victoria from Britain and Marco Frigatti from Italy.

Yoga events were held across all states in India and most major cities across the world -- from New York to London and Tokyo and Sydney.

Dubai man's attempt

In Dubai, a 40-year-old man of Indian origin stood on his head for 61 minutes in an attempt to set a new Guinness World Record.

Ivan Stanley, a Dubai-based advertising professional, broke his own previous record of 34 minutes of Shirsasana. "It feels nice but a little disorienting. Those last five minutes were impossible, perhaps the longest of my life," Stanley was quoted as saying by the Emirates 247 News.

According to the Guinness World Records, a headstand attempt has not been registered as a challenge so far.

"When I contacted the Guinness World Records international office and the Dubai one, there was no such challenge registered with the organisation. We have registered the attempt and will send the video to them. Hopefully, we should know soon enough," Stanley said.







Ansari row escalates, govt apologises for Ram Madhav's criticism

NEW DELHI, June 22 (Agencies): The government today apologised for BJP leader Ram Madhav's criticism of Vice President Hamid Ansari's absence at the Yoga Day celebrations here over which the Congress accused it of playing "divisive" politics.

Union Minister Shripad Naik cited protocol to say that the Vice President can't be invited to an event where the Prime Minister is chief guest amid reports that the government is upset with the needless controversy triggered by Madhav's tweets.

"Unknowingly something happens, we apologise for that. It should have been avoided. It's a mistake, he(Madhav) agrees, he apologised. He withdrew his statement," Naik said when asked to comment on Madhav's controversial tweets yesterday.

About the warrant of precedence, Naik said, "When the Prime Minister is chief guest, then inviting the Vice President is not proper. That is protocol. That's why we did not send the invite to him. President and Vice President are above the Prime Minister as per order of precedence and we cannot invite them accordingly."

Naik is the Minister of State for AYUSH--the Ministry that organised the International Day of Yoga event at Rajpath.

Asked about the controversy and the accusation he was "targeting" the Vice President, Madhav said, "As far as the tweet is concerned, it was withdrawn and the matter is closed there and ends there."

Madhav, who was deputed by the RSS last July to work with the BJP, said there is no further discussion on the issue from his side.

"I want the Yoga event to be remembered for millions and millions of people who have participated in it. I do not want any further controversy over it or any issue," he told reporters in Jammu.

The Vice President's Office said the matter is closed for them as Naik's statement "seems logical".

"For us that's the end of the matter," it said

Congress accused BJP of playing "divisive politics" on the International Day of Yoga by targeting Ansari and demanded that Madhav tender an apology.

"The Vice President has been targeted on International Yoga Day. While yoga is all inclusive, BJP has showed its divisive politics by such an action. Ram Madhav should apologise," party spokesperson R P N Singh told reporters.


To make up for Ram Madhav tweet, Govt apologises to Hamid Ansari - 

AYUSH Minister says PM was chief guest so as per protocol Ansari cannot be invited since he is senior. - 
A day after BJP general secretary Ram Madhav set off a row over what he called the “absence” of Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari from the International Yoga Day celebrations, a senior member of the Government is said to have communicated a message of regret to Ansari. Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Naik — the Yoga Day events in Delhi were held under the aegis of his Ministry — also apologised for the tweet and said that the Vice President had not been invited to the Rajpath event because it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was the chief guest. Citing protocol, he told The Indian Express that the Prime Minister could not be the chief guest at a function attended by the Vice-President. “He is ranked above the prime minister in the order of precedence,” he said, adding that “Ram Madhavji may not have been aware of all this when he tweeted.” Nayak said: “We apologise for that, it was inadvertent. In any case, he has deleted the tweet now. So the matter is over.” RelatedAfter Ansari clarifies 'no invite' on Yoga Day, #IstandWithHamidAnsari trends on TwitterYoga Day: Shripad Naik cites protocol for not inviting Ansari; Congress accuses BJP of divisive politicsNot invited to Yoga Day event, says V-P Hamid Ansari after Ram Madhav’ questions 'absence' According to PTI, Madhav told reporters in Jammu: “As far as the tweet is concerned, it was withdrawn and the matter is closed there and ends there.” He said, “I want the Yoga event to be remembered for millions and millions of people who have participated in it, I do not want any further controversy over it or any issue.” The Vice President’s Office told The Indian Express, “We have taken note of the comments made by Naik on record in the media…What he has stated appears logical and, therefore, for us, that’s the end of the matter.” The controversy had erupted after Madhav had tweeted: “Two questions. Did RS TV (that) runs on tax payers money completely black out Yoga Day event? While President participated (did) VP gave a miss.” The reference to Rajya Sabha TV, run by Parliament’s Upper House, was also loaded given the fact that Ansari, being the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, is the controlling authority for the channel. Madhav’s tweets set off a storm on social media with his supporters slamming Ansari, many of them linking his “absence” to his Muslim faith. The Vice President’s office made it known that he had not been invited to the event. Madhav tweeted again, this time to say: “I am informed (that the) VP was unwell. I withdrew my tweet. My apologies because d institution of VP deserves respect (sic)”. As the issue trended, he deleted both tweets. He was contradicted again by the Vice-President’s office which maintained that he was not unwell. Madhav, a key player in the current BJP establishment — he has been deputed by the RSS to the party — is deeply involved in the political management of the BJP-PDP alliance in Jammu and …continued » 

Incidentally, immediately after the Republic Day parade this year, Ansari was under attack on social media that showed him not saluting the Indian flag while President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were doing so. Once again, his office had to respond saying that according to protocol, only those who are in uniform salute the national flag while the anthem is played. The office had to cite the Flag Code of India (Section VI) to counter criticism, some of which, like this time, questioned his faith, too: “During the ceremony of hoisting or lowering the flag or when the flag is passing in a parade or in a review, all persons present should face the flag and stand at attention. Those present in uniform should render the appropriate salute. A dignitary may take the salute without a head dress”. 

Saturday, June 20, 2015

PAET - (Punjab Ayush Entrance Test)

PAET 2015: All you know about the examination

Guru Ravidas Ayurved University, Punjab has invited applications for Punjab Ayush Entrance Test (PAET) 2015 for admission into Bachelor of Ayurveda, Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) and Bachelor of Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery (BHMS) programmes for the academic session 2015-16. The university has released the admit cards on the official website today i.e. June 17. The candidates can download it from the official website.
To know how to download the admit card, check below:

Go to the official website
Click on the link 'admit card'
Insert registration number and date of birth;

Submit the same. The admit cards will be displayed on the screen. The candidates are required to take out a print for the future purpose.

To know about the eligibility criteria:

Eligibility criteria:
The candidates must have passed higher secondary school (10+2) from a recognised board or institute.

Age limit:
The minimum age of the candidates must be up to 17 years.

Application fee:
An application fee of Rs 4,500 and Rs 3,000 is to be paid by the general and SC candidates respectively.

Application procedure:
The eligible and interested candidates must apply through official website for which the link is provided here: www.graupunjab.org

Important dates:
Download admit cards: June 17
Date of PAET 2015: June 21
Date of result declaration: June 25
Filling of online admission application form for admission: June 25
Last date of filling online admission form: July 12
Last date of submission of print out of online admission form: July 15

"Yoga and Islam"

Ministry launches book on affinity of yoga and namaaz
IANS
New Delhi, | 17 June, 2015

In order to battle the opposition from sections of Indian Muslims who have called the International Day of Yoga a "Hindutva agenda", the ministry of AYUSH has launched a book titled "Yoga and Islam".

The ministry said yogic postures find many similarities with the Islamic 'namaaz', the prayer postures.

"We faced objection from the Muslim communities over yoga. The motive behind this book is to prove that yogic postures are not different from namaaz," said AYUSH Minister Shripad Naik here on Wednesday.

In view of the first International day of Yoga on June 21, the book was launched to showcase that yoga was not associated with any particular religion and is universally accepted, Naik added.

It was published by Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM) -- a Muslim organisation affiliated to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-- and was launched in Hindi.

The ministry last week received objections from Muslim leaders over 'Surya Namaskar' (yogic postures called prayer to the sun) which was later removed from the day's agenda.

"The book does not include Surya Namaskar as Muslims are not allowed to pray to anyone but Allah, while Surya Namaskar requires praying to the sun," said Maulana Kokab Mujtaba, an official at the MRM.

The MRM announced that the book would also be available across the country.

yog- yoga-yogi- for yug

Yoga Day: 192 countries, 37,500 mats in Yoga Capital Ahead of International Yoga Day on Sunday, The Indian Express team looks at the events planned for New Delhi, various states and abroad.  The main event will happen on a 1,400 m stretch of Rajpath — it can accommodate a little over 37,500 yoga mats. Written by Abantika Ghosh | New Delhi
 It started with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the UN General Assembly last September when he expressed a “wish” that June 21 should be adopted as the International Day for Yoga. Nine months later, the entire government in India — and all Indian embassies/high commissions abroad — are preparing for a Yoga spectacle. And a couple of Guinness world records. NDA States: Gujarat targets 1 cr people, Rajasthan looks at 25 lakh The main event will happen on a 1,400 m stretch of Rajpath — it can accommodate a little over 37,500 yoga mats so the initial target of 45,000 does not look feasible — while there will be celebrations in 192 countries. The government will not mind the slight revision in target, of course. It is still well ahead of the current world record for the largest yoga class , which is 29,973 held by the Vivekananda Kendra. ALso Read: In Bihar, it’s mostly a private or Central affair For the second record of yoga performance by the people of most nationalities, there needs to be people from at least 50 nationalities performing yoga at Rajpath on June 21. Officials in the ministry of AYUSH and in the ministry of youth affairs are confident that will be met. RelatedYoga on Rajpath, with help from 'Made in China'International Yoga day: Guinness teams ready, Govt seeks two recordsTarget for PM Narendra Modi's Yoga Day event: representatives from 100 countries Part of the Rajpath turnout will also be approximately 5,000 participants each from guru Ramdev’s organisations, Art of Living, paramilitary forces, Delhi schools and NCC. There will be 1,000 from Isha Foundation and 2,000 from Gayatri Parivar apart from bureaucrats, ministers and guests from abroad. How much this ambitious Guinness effort will cost the public exchequer, though, is another question. The AYUSH Ministry puts the expenditure at Rs 30 crore. The Ministry of External Affairs will not give a figure; minister Sushma Swaraj has said the expenses are being borne out of the publicity budget of embassies and will go towards “increasing India’s soft power”, so there is no need to talk about it in isolation. Non-NDA States: Karnataka, West Bengal, Assam join in The real expenses, however, are of publicity, with the intensive campaign launched by Prasar Bharti and the information and broadcasting ministry being unofficially pegged at Rs 100-odd crore. AYUSH is issuing ads and has started sending bulk messages urging people to take up yoga. There will also be non-government events. According to Ishwar V Vasavaraddi, director of the Morarji Desai Yoga Institute that is the nerve centre of the preparations, former and present pupils alone are organising several hundred small yoga camps in their respective localities. Sports complexes of the Delhi Development Authority have put up banners for events and there is at least one in the works even in the air — SpiceJet in association with Isha Foundation will organise a ten-minute yoga session on 14 of its flights on June 21. -

No Surya Namaskar on International Yoga Day event: Government
Saturday, 13 June 2015 - 11:30pm IST | Place: New Delhi | Agency: PTI
It also said 'surya namaskar' was never a part of the yoga 'asanas' to be performed during the June 21 event. Shripad Naik, Minister for AYUSH which is coordinating the IYD, said that when 47 Muslim nations across the world are supporting the event, the opposition in the country had "no- point" and more than a dozen Muslim bodies in India too have supported the event.
Terming as "baseless and politically motivated" opposition to the International Yoga Day event, the government on Saturday said people can chant the name of their respective gods while performing.