Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Sunday lead the nation in observing the 12th International Day of Yoga from Red Road in central Kolkata.

He will also commission three indigenously designed and built naval ships at the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port here.

Addressing a programme to mark the ‘Paschimbanga Divas’ of West Bengal Day at Tarakeswar on Saturday, the PM urged the people across the state to organise Yoga Day events and participate actively.

Stating that he will participate in Yoga Day here this time, Modi said, “I want Yoga Day celebrations to be organised across Bengal, in every corner.” 
He said that this land of yogis like Swami Vivekananda and Maharshi Aurobindo will send a guiding message to the entire world.

Yoga Day celebrations are being organised across nearly 2,500 locations worldwide, with participation from more than 210 Indian missions and posts, reaffirming yoga’s status as a global movement for health, harmony and collective well-being, an official statement said.

Modi will address a gathering at the Red Road here while participating in the common yoga protocol session with thousands of yoga practitioners during the morning programme, it said.

This year’s theme for the International Day of Yoga is “Yoga for Healthy Ageing”, highlighting its role in promoting physical health, mental well-being, emotional resilience and active ageing, contributing to an improved quality of life.

“The theme is particularly relevant in an era of increasing life expectancy and growing emphasis on healthy, active and dignified ageing,” the statement said.

Since its inception in 2015, when the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted India’s proposal to observe June 21 as the International Day of Yoga, the PM has led the celebrations from various locations including New Delhi, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Mysuru, New York, Srinagar and Vishakhapatnam, it said.

In a programme later in the morning at the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port here on Sunday, the PM will commission three indigenously designed and built naval ships – advanced stealth frigate INS Dunagiri, survey vessel (large) INS Sanshodhak and anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft INS Agray.

These inductions into the Indian Navy will significantly bolster the nation’s maritime prowess and strengthen the security of the country’s coastal waters against geopolitical threats.

All three ships were designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Kolkata-based Defence PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd, with extensive participation from Indian industry, including more than 200 MSMEs, the statement added.