Union Minister Kiren Rijiju Calls Upon Celebrities, Corporates, Athletes To Revolutionise Fit India Movement

New Delhi: The Fit India annual advisory committee meeting was chaired by the Union Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday in the presence of Secretary, Ministry of Sports, Ravi Mital, Secretary, Youth Affairs Usha Sharma, Indian Olympic Association President Narinder Batra, various celebrity fitness enthusiasts including Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Kajal Aggarwal and other stakeholders working in tandem for the promotion of the Fit India mission.

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The committee, which also included Secretaries of School Education and Literacy, Higher Education, Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of AYUSH, besides others, shared the initiatives they have conducted and have planned to take forward to make the campaign a wider success.

I’m very happy to be a part of this committee and it is great to see all the members have been actively supporting this cause. Their ideas help us move forward. When PM Narendra Modi launched this movement last year, based on what he said, we tried to understand how we can take it forward. Today, in this third meeting of the National Advisory Committee, I see so many suggestions coming forward and am proud to see that the entire team has been doing a wonderful job so far, Mr. Rijiju said.

He said the last year has been a very interesting journey with various state governments, schools and colleges actively participating in various activities.

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The minister said there has been amazing participation for the Fit India Freedom Run campaign.

I think this is the highest traction ever for a government campaign. It has been a complete people’s movement, taken forward by the masses, he said.

Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty Kundra also congratulated all the members and Mr. Rijiju and added that focusing on mental health is also the need of the hour.

I have to congratulate all the members including minister sir who has taken forward this movement with so much joy and passion. I think there’s a lot more planned out and I am a lot excited, she said.

Talking about the importance of mental health, she said,

We are living in a very different world from what we had planned last year. I feel there is too much fear as people are jobless. There is a lack of physical contact. It is taking a toll on mental health. We have to do something about it now. What is the use of physical health if you don’t have mental health? Through fit India, we have to pay attention to mental wellness. This is the need of the hour. Even reserving some days of the week for meditation and pranayam can be beneficial to us.

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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.