Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal performed yoga asanas along with hundreds of people at the Thyagaraj Stadium here on the occasion of International Yoga Day on Tuesday, and said his government aims to teach it to schoolchildren.
Kejriwal was joined by members of 'Dilli Ki Yogshala' along with his deputy Manish Sisodia at the stadium for the yoga session.
Addressing participants at the event, Kejriwal said the Delhi government's aim is to ensure that every Delhiite practices yoga daily.
"If the habit (of practising yoga) is inculcated among children, they will be associated with it throughout their lives. It is our objective to teach yoga to children and see how it can be started in schools," he said.
The Delhi government has improved the health infrastructure in the city but with yoga part of their daily lives, people will not need to go to hospitals, he added.
Speaking about the 'Dilli ki Yogshala' programme, Kejriwal said he learnt yoga free of cost and it will be free for Delhiites too.
"We have to take yoga from the stage where thousands are practising it to one where lakhs practice it. Some people criticise me for free yoga classes. I learnt it (yoga) for free in Class 8, so it will be free for the people as every essential thing in life, like air, is free," he said.
Over 17,000 Delhiites including men, women, rich and poor, practice yoga daily at 546 places across the city as part of free classes under 'Dilli ki Yogshala', the chief minister said.
During the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the Kejriwal government launched free online yoga classes for COVID-19 patients in home isolation. More than 4,700 such patients participated in online yoga sessions conducted by trained instructors, he said.
In a series of tweets, Kejriwal urged people to practice yoga every day for a healthy life.
Groups of Delhi residents willing to practice yoga are provided trained instructors by the Delhi government under the 'Dilli Ki Yogshala' programme.