Lok Sabha Question No. 3416 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-15
Subject: Yoga Teaching
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Alok Kumar Suman

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3416 TO BE ANSWERED ON 15 th  July, 2019

## Yoga Teaching

3416. DR. ALOK KUMAR SUMAN:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  there  is  any  proposal  by  the  Government  to  introduce  compulsory  yoga  teaching  for  all classes at Higher Secondary stage all over the country;

- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has taken any steps to promote the participation of autonomous bodies for yoga teaching and Yoga demonstration; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SHRI RAMESH POKHRIYAL 'NISHANK')

(a)  & (b) : Education is a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution and majority of schools are under the jurisdiction of the State/Union Territory Governments and it is for the respective State/Union Territory Government to take a decision in the matter for their schools.

Central  Board  of  Secondary  Education  (CBSE)  has  made  Health  and  Physical  Education compulsory in all classes from I-XII for its affiliated schools. It has been advised to schools that Health and Physical Education includes three areas i.e. Health Education, Physical Education and Yoga and all three areas are essential to achieve holistic health (physical, mental, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual).

National Curriculum Framework (NCF), 2005 recommended Yoga as an integral part of Health and Physical Education.  Health and Physical Education is a compulsory subject from Class I to Class X and  optional  from  Class  XI  to  XII.      The  National  Council  of  Educational  Research  and  Training (NCERT) has already developed integrated syllabi on Health and Physical Education from Class I to Class X.  The syllabus is available on NCERT website www.ncert.nic.in.

(c)  &  (d)  :  The  Government  has  also  included  Yoga  training  in  the  'Study  in  India'  programme  to encourage  Yoga  seekers  from  abroad  to  obtain  authentic  Yoga  training  in  India.  University  Grants Commission (UGC) has approved  the  establishment of  an  Inter  University  Centre-Yogic Science  at Bengaluru and introduced Yoga as a new National Eligibility Test (NET) subject from January 2017 UGC-NET onwards. Further, in order to promote Yoga in the country, Yoga Departments have been established in nine Central Universities.

NCERT organized Yoga Olympiad across the country at various levels, schools from states and UTs, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools participated in the Yoga Olympiad, culminating in the National Yoga Olympiad on 18 th to 20 th June, 2019 at NCERT, New Delhi. The valedictory function was held at New Delhi, wherein Prizes were awarded to the winning teams.

The  Government has  set  up a  Yoga  Certification  Board  (YCB)  to  standardize  and  strengthen Yoga  training  by  providing  certification  to  individuals  and  accreditation  to  Institutions.  This  is  a significant step in spreading Yoga in India and other countries. Under the Information Education and Communication (IEC) Scheme of the AYUSH Ministry, many activities are taken up to reach out to people and to create awareness about Yoga. IEC activities include programs on TV, Radio, Print-media, seminar, Arogya Fairs, Seminars/ Conference/ Workshops to create awareness about Yoga among the people.

Indian Missions in foreign countries, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Ministry of Tourism take up a series of activities every year to promote Yoga world-wide, the highlights of which are the Mass Yoga Demonstrations organized at on the International Day of Yoga in different cities across the world including iconic locations Eiffel Tower, Times Square etc.

National Institute of Naturopathy (NIN), an Institute under Ministry of AYUSH, conducts on an average 16 outreach activities every month to popularize Yoga and Naturopathy, some of which are held in  villages  near  Pune.  Under  National  AYUSH  Mission  (NAM),  financial  assistance  is  provided  to States  and  Union  Territories  for  setting  up  AYUSH  wellness  Centres,  in  which  Yoga  is  an  important component.

In addition, Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY) is an autonomous organisation under Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India. MDNIY is a focal Institute for Planning, Training, Promotion  and  Coordination  of  Yoga  Education,  Training,  Therapy  and  Research  in  all  its  aspects. MDNIY aims to promote deeper understanding  of Yoga  philosophy and  practices  based on  classical Yoga amongst people.