In a bid to boost its 'Fit India' movement, the Centre has decided to converge activities of ministries of Health and Youth Affairs and Sports, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said.
Vardhan made the announcement after he met Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju on Thursday.
The two ministers charted out an action plan for greater visibility and synergy towards popularising fitness in the country in various age groups.
The 'Fit India' movement was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this year to encourage people to remain healthy and fit by including physical activities and sports in their daily lives.
Vardhan said the sports ministry would engage with all institutions of the health ministry, along with other medical institutions and organisations such as the IMA, to create a nationwide consciousness about fitness and wellness.
The ministry will also actively engage with state governments, state health ministers and principals of various medical colleges.
Additionally, this will be taken forward with the frontline health functionaries that implement the National Health Mission (NHM) in close association with communities, he said.
"The thrust for popularising 'Fit India' movement shall now see convergence of activities of both the ministries as the goal of this national movement is to encourage people towards positive, preventive and promotive health and wellness," Vardhan said.
He said this becomes more significant as all over the world, the burden of non-communicable disease is growing due to our changing patter of lifestyle.
"Fitness forms an integral part of wellness, and with this in view, we have already included various activities such as yoga, meditation, daily physical activities, jumba etc in the Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) across the country," he said.
"Even simple actions such as walking, cycling, stretching during our office and work hours, along with gyming and jogging help in keeping us fit and healthy," he added.
Vardhan said encouraging people to adopt a healthy lifestyle with healthy eating habits has been one of the primary focus of his ministry.
"We have launched the 'Eat Right India' initiative of FSSAI which has seen various promotional activities being rolled out, including the ongoing Eat Right Mela at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium," Vardhan said, adding that FSSAI is also creating awareness on transfat in processed foods.
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