Puducherry, 21 December (H.S.): Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya led the first anniversary of Fit India Sundays on Cycle at Rock Beach on Sunday, where over 1,500 cyclists—including school students, NaMo Cycling Clubs, and Puducherry University participants—created a vibrant fitness festival.
Padma Bhushan and Khel Ratna awardees PR Sreejesh and Sharath Kamal rode alongside youth and Arjuna awardees Jyothi Surekha and Abhishek Verma, inspiring attendees amid Zumba, carrom, chess, mallakhamb, silambam, yoga, and rope skipping—aligning with World Meditation Day's fitness as meditation in motion.
Puducherry Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan, Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, Assembly Speaker R. Selvam, and Home Minister A. Namassivayam joined Mandaviya, who flagged off the inaugural New Delhi event a year ago.
Mandaviya noted explosive growth from five locations with 500 participants to 10,000+ weekly sites engaging 10 lakh citizens across 700+ districts, crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's anti-obesity and pollution fight.
Events spanned SAI and Khelo India centres in Hazaribagh, Kargil, Patiala, Lucknow, Golaghat, Rajnandgaon, Hisar, Tinsukia, Visakhapatnam, Kashipur, and Cuttack, partnering with banks; NaMo clubs and My Bharat volunteers fueled participation.
App Launch and FelicitationsMandaviya launched the Fit India app's Carbon Credit Incentivization, enabling redeemable credits for cycling; top earners Bharatbhai Parmar, Shashikant Veerkar, and Govind Singh were honored. Monthly, top three cyclists per state/UT will be incentivized to promote daily habits.
Ambassadors Nidhi Nigam, Aishwarya Raj, Dr. Shikha Gupta, Yukti Arya, Divya Arul, and Siva Senthil were felicitated. Kailashnathan cited Mandaviya's Gujarat village's cycle-only culture for carbon reduction; Rangasamy praised accessible fitness. Sreejesh called it a discipline-building movement for healthier societies.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
