Integration of Yoga into women and child welfare policies enhancing health at grassroots: PM Modi

New Delhi, June 21 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday shared a compelling article, penned by the Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annapurna Devi, on how Yoga is serving as a mass movement for building a healthier and robust India, particularly for women and children. 

Sharing the article on his social media handle, PM Modi also urged the X users to give it a read, to comprehend how the integration of Yoga into the country’s women and child welfare policies was enhancing health and well-being at the grassroots across India.

Union Minister Annapurna Devi, in her Op-Ed titled ‘Yoga as a mass campaign to build a healthier India’, highlighted its transformative impact on the empowerment of women and nurturing of children.

She spotlighted the positive impact of Yoga for pregnant women, explaining the benefits of prenatal and postnatal Yoga in ensuring the well-being of the mother and child.

Sharing the article, she wrote, “Yoga is not just an ancient practice, but a mass movement for a healthier and empowered India — especially for women and children.”

She said that as the nation marches towards the Viksit Bharat goal, it is necessary to integrate Yoga into the lives of women and children, who constitute two-thirds of the country's population and are more vulnerable and exposed to health issues than other sections.

“From improving mental health and hormonal balance to strengthening the muscular and skeletal system, Yoga is uniquely suited to meet the health needs of women across age groups,” she wrote.

“Adopting Yoga before and after pregnancy empowers women to effectively manage related health challenges. Prenatal Yoga, with its targeted postures and meditative techniques, alleviates pregnancy discomforts, supports pain management, and boosts energy. It prepares expectant mothers for childbirth physically and emotionally. Postnatal Yoga helps lactating mothers in their recovery, emotional well-being. enhancing breastfeeding and strengthening the mother-child bond,” she further said.

The minister also shed light on her ministry employing over 25 lakh anganwadi workers to inform, educate, and assist women and children in adopting Yoga as a necessary habit in their daily lives.

“For children, lifestyle disorders, screen dependence, and academic pressures have all become major health afflictions. Yoga offers a response to these challenges by enhancing concentration, memory, emotional regulation, sleep quality, and stress management,” she stated while informing about the schemes Mission Saksham, Anganwadi, and Poshan 2.0 for embedding Yoga into early childhood care.

Underscoring the importance of including more women in the workforce, she said that increased female labour force participation can boost the manufacturing output by 9 per cent and help us achieve a high-income developed nation status by 2047.

She also informed about the flagship programmes run by her ministry to make them an integral part of India's growth story and stated, “From IT to space and from policymaking to strategic defence, women are the new frontline warriors. Hence, women must keep working towards unlocking their potential, with Yoga playing a key role.”