The Maharashtra government has decided to celebrate the 21st day of every month as Yoga Day across all schools, colleges and universities in the State. State School and Higher Education minister Vinod Tawde had recently held a meeting with yoga institutions like Sri Sri Ravishankar’s Art of Living, Ramdev Baba’s Patanjali Yog Samiti, Samarth Vyayam Mandir Bharat Swabhiman Nyas and others to moot various ways to celebrate International Yoga Day on June 21 on a grand scale at district levels.

It is also decided that every district will have to set up a Yoga Day committee at their levels to plan ‘Yoga Mahostav’ (Yoga Festival) every year in between January 12 and 21 and a separate committee at the State level will monitor and coordinate with these committees, the Minister has said, adding schools, colleges, technical and medical colleges in the State will help promote and disseminate yoga at district levels for these 10 days during the festival.

Swami Vivekanand’s birth anniversary, January 12, is celebrated as Yuvak Din [Youth Day] in the country. So during 10 days from January 12 to 21, all schools and colleges will have to organise Yoga Festival aiming to spread Yoga therapy in 40,000 villages across the State.