The minister reached Kanpur airport by a special plane this morning and spent around 20 minutes with the army officers, soldiers and their families while participating in a yoga programme at Garrison Ground.
Despite yoga being an "indigenous practice", the defence minister said most people in the country were unaware of its importance.
The minister also noted the potential of yoga as an employment generator besides a practice to keep people healthy.
He later visited the ancestral house of Lt Colonel Pankaj Singh in Vimannagar in Chakeri area of the city and paid tributes to him. Singh was killed in action in Arunachal Pradesh on June 13.
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Parrikar consoled his family members and assured them of all possible help from the defence ministry. He also offered Singh's wife, assistance in seeking a job if she so desired.
The minister, however, chose not to answer queries about GST.