New Delhi, Jun 21 (PTI) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta performed yoga on the banks of the Yamuna on Saturday and pledged to clean the river to make way for future cruise services.
Ministers and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs and MPs joined in the International Day of Yoga (IDY) celebrations across 11 locations in the national capital.
Held amidst nature with the theme "Yoga with Yamuna", the event to commemorate the IDY was held at the Water Sports Club in northeast Delhi's Sonia Vihar.
Delhi minister Kapil Mishra, MP Manoj Tiwari, Assembly Deputy Speaker Mohan Singh Bisht, Chief Secretary Dharmendra, senior officials, local representatives, school children, local citizens and yoga instructors took part in the event.
In her address, Gupta shared that all departments of her government enthusiastically fulfilled their responsibilities while planning the celebrations. Whether it was organising yoga sessions in stadiums, conducting programmes in arogya mandirs or arranging camps at other locations -- each department played a vital role in the success of the events.
While she was invited to multiple venues, Gupta chose to participate at the event at the Yamuna bank as the river constantly reminds her of her duties, she said.
The chief minister emphasised that the way the Yamuna flows calmly and cleanly at this site, the same should be true across the city with pollution-free water.
She said thousands of tonnes of water hyacinth have been removed from the river using advanced technology and added that this effort will now be scaled up. Alongside this, a cruise service is also being planned on the Yamuna, Gupta said.
She pointed out that it is due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visionary leadership that yoga today is being celebrated globally. Modi has not only taken impactful political decisions, but has also guided the country like a family head on matters of health, nutrition and lifestyle, the chief minister said.
Be it the promotion of millet, reducing oil consumption or advocating yoga -- the prime minister has consistently encouraged citizens towards a healthy life, she added.
Gupta stressed that Yoga Day should not be treated as a daylong event and that yoga must be incorporated into daily life, because "a healthy citizen is the foundation of a prosperous nation". She reiterated that making Delhi the country's health capital is a shared responsibility.
"Witnessing youngsters perform yoga on boats under the theme 'Yoga with Yamuna' was a deeply inspiring sight. Themes like 'One Earth, One Health' unite us in purpose," she said.
Gupta said for the first time in decades, such a grand celebration was organised under the banner of the Delhi government, with more than 20,000 people participating -- making it a milestone in itself.
Appealing for public participation in cleaning the Yamuna, the chief minister described the river as Delhi's lifeline. She emphasised that restoring its purity and continuous flow requires not just government action but also active community involvement.
Gupta informed that several key projects, such as decentralised sewage treatment plants (STPs), sewer lines and pipelines, are progressing swiftly with investments of thousands of crores of rupees to ensure the Yamuna's rejuvenation.
Through the "Yoga with Yamuna" initiative, the message is clear -- the river is being cleaned and soon, along with boat-yoga sessions, cruise services will also commence, she said.
Hitting out at the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, Gupta alleged that it never took sincere and concrete steps to clean the Yamuna.
She asserted that her government is working with seriousness to ensure that untreated water from drains does not enter the river and that every drop of water flowing into the Yamuna is clean. Additionally, she said measures are being taken to ensure "E-flow" -- the ecological flow of the river -- so that the Yamuna can once again be restored to its life-giving form.
Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood said for the first time, the city government officially celebrated the prime minister's initiative under Gupta's leadership.
"The 11th International Yoga Day was marked simultaneously at 11 locations, with more than 20,000 yoga practitioners taking part in the events. Yoga Day was also observed on a large scale in colleges and nearly 10,000 yoga enthusiasts gathered at the Chhatrasal Stadium," he added.
Sood, who holds multiple portfolios, led the event at the Chhatrasal Stadium. Public Works Department and Water Minister Parvesh Verma performed yoga at the Thyagaraja Stadium.
In a post on X, Verma said, "Heartiest greetings to all the countrymen on International Day of Yoga. Today I got the opportunity to do yoga with practitioners at Thyagaraja Stadium."
"This is not just a yoga session, but a living proof of India's cultural heritage and the spirit of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' established in the world under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modiji. Today the whole world is connecting with the ancient tradition of India through yoga," he added.
Calling the occasion "historic", Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa claimed that the previous government had distanced itself from the annual celebrations due to political bias.
"While the entire world celebrated Yoga Day, the previous Delhi government chose to ignore it -- simply because it was Prime Minister Modi's initiative," he said, addressing the gathering. "That mindset kept people away from something that belongs to all of us," Sirsa added.
Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Singh said yoga is not merely a form of exercise, but a powerful practice that promotes both physical vitality and mental clarity.
On Friday, Gupta launched a yoga anthem sung by music composer Amit Trivedi.