Key Points

New Delhi, Aug 17 (IANS) Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports Mansukh Mandaviya gave a clarion call to all citizens to adopt an active lifestyle by participating in the FIT India Sundays on Cycle initiative from his home village Hanol in Palitana, Gujarat. Started by the Sports Minister in December 2024, the cycling initiative has been organised across more than 46,000 locations till now with an overall participation of 8 lakh-plus individuals. Continuing its mission to build a healthier, pollution-free India, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, organised a special edition of ‘Fit India Sundays on Cycle’ today in partnership with the National Cadet Corps across 5000 locations nationwide. Around 3000 Namo Fit India Clubs also participated in the event.

Dr Mandaviya urged fellow villagers, men and women, to download the FIT India mobile app and utilise the carbon credit feature.

“I would urge everyone to download the FIT India mobile app and check how much carbon is being saved by cycling to work or going around the village. The app has been developed as such that it gives you all information about your health from the distance and time taken to the heart rate etc., beneficial to monitor one’s health. Cycling is a great tool for fighting obesity and a solution to pollution. I would ask everyone to become part of our Fit India Sundays on Cycle movement,” Dr Mandaviya said in Hanol.

In Delhi, the 1200-plus enthusiastic cyclists rode around the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and enjoyed participating in Zumba, meditation and yoga sessions besides rope skipping activity organised by Dr Shikha Gupta. Further, fencers Naziya Shaik and Beni Quebha pledged their support for the cycling movement saying that it is spreading much-needed awareness in Tier 1 and Tier 2/3 cities about the bad effects of obesity and air pollution.

“This is my first experience of cycling with such a huge crowd. I am very happy to be part of it. Fit India Sundays on Cycle is a great initiative to make people aware about lifestyle diseases like obesity, and sir pollution. It was so nice to see people enjoying different physical activities from Zumba, yoga, rope skipping to badminton, net cricket etc at one place. The morning began with high energy and the message was clear to everyone that we have to adopt an active lifestyle to remain fit and healthy,” said Beni Quebha, a National Games medallist in fencing.

Meanwhile, more than 100 riders from the Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) actively participated in the Fit India Sundays on Cycles at the Patiala Locomotive Works (PLW). The event was organised in conjunction with the Indian Railway’s cycling training camp currently being held at PLW. This successful event not only promoted physical fitness but also reflected RSPB’s unwavering commitment to encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle among its athletes and employees.

The ‘Fit India Sundays on Cycle’ is organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS), in collaboration with the Cycling Federation of India (CFI), Raahgiri Foundation, My Bikes and MY Bharat. The cycling drive is organised simultaneously in capitals of all States and Union Territories besides SAI Regional Centres, National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs), SAI Training Centres (STCs), Khelo India State Centres of Excellence (KISCEs) and Khelo India centres (KICs) across various age groups.

- IANS