Now comes a destressing, lifestyle mgmt class for MLAs

In all probability a stress test carried out on state MLAs and ministers as soon as they walk out of a stormy assembly session would show that the elected representatives are a prime candidate for cardiac troubles. Add to it, the pressures of long working hours, stinging media reports and miles of travelling.

But Gujarat CM Narendra Modi has an answer. After taking his cabinet colleagues to a training session on building a corporate Gujarat at Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) around a year back, now they are being herded to a health, lifestyle and stress management workshop.

On behest of Modi, the state health department has engaged an Ahmedabad-based healthcare consultancy, Medico Media, to help ministers and MLAs improve their lifestyle and de-stress them.

A workshop on 'Health, Lifestyle and Stress Management,' would be held at Vidhan Sabha, on February 8 and 9, and it is expected that inspite of a stormy assembly session, 250 odd MLAs would take part in the workshop.

"The MLAs and ministers nowadays work under a lot of pressure and stress, and they being representatives of the public, they play an important and influential role. Through effective health management, they can be a source of health and vitality thus leading to a positive impact on the health of entire communities in their respective constituencies," said Meena Shah, a physician and healthcare consultant, who has been engaged to render help to the public representatives.

Besides understanding the various ways to handle increasing stress on the people's representatives, they would also be made aware about better inter-personal relationship and good habits.

On day one, the politicians would attend an interactive and live session and will share their attitudes and concerns regarding health and healthcare. It would be followed by 'ice-breaker' exercises in group and an interactive session on 'holistic health and its relevance today,' with a round of prayer.

"The attitude of a young MLA and a senior member towards health would not be the same and people coming from various parts of the state will also have different lifestyle. So a synchronisation is required and they would be given a talk on 'healthy by choice and not chance.' The workshop would also discuss about good appearance and a positive attitude and ways to increase work efficiency and effective stress management," said a source close to the health department.

It may be recalled that about a year back, Modi and his cabinet colleagues and later the bureaucrats had undergone a rigorous training session at IIM-A, covering subjects such as good governance and introduction of corporate culture in state government's way of functioning.

This is the second such workshop being organised, and for the first time for the MLAs as the earlier programme with IIM-A covered only the ministers and senior officers.