Shimla-Himachal Pradesh Yogasana Sports Association (HPYSA), Chairman, Prof. GD Sharma, has urged the State Government to include Yoga as a compulsory subject at the school level and to teach it in colleges as well. While addressing a press conference very recently, he said that Yoga has been recognized as a sport by the government of India and sports quota in jobs will now apply to Yoga players.

GD Sharma said the inclusion of Yoga at schools and college would open new avenues for the youth as a career. He said that HPYSA has launched a statewide drive to connect youth in the Hill state with Yoga. It’s all set to organize the first online State level Yogasana Contest in March and winners, thereof, will participate in the national championship to be held from March 24 to 26.

HPYSA is affiliated with the National Yogasana Sports Association, a body recognized by the central ministry of youth affairs and sports, he added.

Sharma, a former professor of HP University, has been instrumental in promoting Yoga across the globe when he was posted in Indonesia by the government of India with a diplomat status from 1992 to 1997 

He said HPYSA will make all efforts to create job opportunities for youth through Yoga.

About Recognition of Yogasana as a Competitive Sport.

On December 17, 2020, the Ministry of AYUSH and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports had announced the formal recognition of Yogasana as a competitive sport.

The Government of India had said that Yogasana is an integral and important component of Yoga, which is psycho-physical in nature and popular across the globe for its efficacy in fitness and general wellness.

It had further added , “Yogasana becoming a sport will also ensure new technologies and new strategies being inducted into the disciplines, to benefit our athletes and officials towards building fruitful and fulfilling careers in this field”.

The government had also said that it was planning to include Yogasana as a Sport discipline in Khelo India and in the University Games and we will also pitch it at the National Games and in Olympics.

The AYUSH ministry had said that the sports discipline of Yogasana is likely to have 51 medals in 4 events & 7 categories. The proposed events for both men and women include Traditional Yogasana, Artistic Yogasana (Single), Artistic Yogasana (Pair), Rhythmic Yogasana (Pair), Free Flow/Group Yogasana, Individual All Round – Championship and Team Championship.

According to the AYUSH, following steps or activities will form part of the road map and the future development of Yogasana Sport:

1. A pilot Yogasana Competition named as “National Individual Yogasana Sports Championship (Virtual Mode) to be held in early 2021.
2. Launching of an Annual Calendar of competitions, events and programs of Yogasana sport.
3. Development of Automated Scoring System for the Yogasana Championship.
4. Courses for Coaches, Referees, Judges and Directors of competitions.
5. Coaching camps for players.
6. Launch of a League of Yogasana, to ensure a career and social status for performers, experts and practitioners, to create Sports Stars among Yogasana athletes.
7. To introduce Yogasana as a Sport discipline in National Games, Khelo India and international sports events.
8. Steps to create job opportunities for Yogasana athletes.

Shimla-Mission Director National Health Mission, Himachal Pradesh, Dr. Nipun Jindal yesterday informed that 25th February 2021 will be the last date of the mop-up round for the vaccination of Health Care Workers (HCWs).

All the Chief Medical Officers were directed to prepare the list of all such Health Care Workers who are registered on CoWIN portal but have not been vaccinated for the first dose till date. Districts have been directed to create sessions for all such left out beneficiaries as per the requirement to ensure maximum coverage of Health Care Workers.

All the CMOs were further directed to analyse and review their block-wise coverage to assess the left-out beneficiaries and to further direct their Block Medical Officers to arrange sessions in all the blocks. It was also reiterated to utilize all available channels of communication to reach out to the left-out beneficiaries.

Dr. Nipun Jindal further informed that this will be the last chance for all HCWs to get the first dose of the COVID vaccine. He appealed to all registered but not vaccinated health care workers for reporting to their nearest session site on 25th February for getting vaccinated irrespective of receiving SMS for the session scheduling. Such beneficiaries will be scheduled on-site.

He further informed that till now more than 78 percent of registered Health Care Workers have been vaccinated in the State. So far only 0.5 percent AEFI cases have been reported, of which only one needed hospitalization.

He further appealed to the beneficiaries to ignore any rumours and come forward to get themselves vaccinated as the vaccine is completely safe.

Dr. Jindal also informed that Himachal Pradesh is the leading state in the country in 2nd dose coverage of Health Care Workers, achieving more than 91 percent of the expected target.

Shimla-New sites for adventure sports activities in Himachal Pradesh has been notified by the State Government, informed Director Tourism and Civil Aviation, Yunus Khan, yesterday.

On 23 February the State Government had announced that it was planning to open a floating restaurant at Tattapani in Mandi district. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur had also inaugurated water sports activities at Tattapani from Shimla.

Additional sites for paragliding and river rafting has been notified. Now tourists visiting the state could experience paragliding at new sites in the districts of Kullu, Kangra, Mandi, Chamba, and Shimla.

New notified paragliding sites in Himachal Pradesh include:

1. Pandhara to Gadsa and Khargan to Nangabag in district Kullu
2. Tang Narwana to Khirku  in Kangra district
3. Darouta to Lahra (Khajjiar) and Lahra to Darol and Raina to Nainikhad Jarei in Chamba district
4. Prashar and Spenidhar in Mandi district
5. Tikkar, Junga  to Chauri/Junga in Shimla district

New site for river rafting on river Beas from Nadaun to Dehra Bridge has also been notified. 

Other than the notified river rafting sites, already existing sites in Himachal includes

1. Shamshi to Jehri and Babeli to Pirdi in Kullu district,
2. Luhri to Tattapani in Shimla district,
3. Darch to Jispa and Kaza Bridge to Tabo in Lahaul-Spiti. 

He said that for the safety of paragliding pilots and tourists, the Department of Tourism in collaboration with Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering & Allied Sports (ABVIMAS), Manali, has taken the initiative to provide training courses to paragliding pilots, which includes SIV course, a safety training course for Tandem paragliding pilots.

Director said that in the last two years an expenditure of approximately rupees two crore has been incurred on imparting training courses to 749 persons, which includes basic mountaineering course, paragliding course, basic, intermediate and advance skiing course including SIV course for providing training to locals from these newly identified areas.

In addition to these new notified sites, there are many other notified sites in Himachal Pradesh for paragliding for adventure enthusiasts. These sites include

1. Bir-Billing, Chohla Indru Nag near Dharamshala in Kangra district,
2. Solang Nalah, Marhi, Talaiti-Talogi, Majach-Shanag in Kullu district
3. Mauja Rehad to Karganoo in Solan district
4. Ser Jagaas in Sirmaur district.

State Government had already also notified H.P. Miscellaneous Adventure Activities ‘Amendment’ Rules. The government also said that it would start new water sports activities like a speed boat, water skiing, jet skiing, ski-boarding, water scooter, cruise etc. in various water bodies.

In the Karsog area, the Government had said, popular tourist destinations such as Mahunag Temple, Kamaksha Temple etc. would be developed from a religious tourism point of view.