Yogandhra-2026 takes off in Andhra Pradesh with 25,000 registrations

Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, Health and Family Commissioner G. Veerapandian, Eagle IG Ake Ravi Krishna, Police Commissioner Rajashekar Babu and others participated in a yoga training program in Vijayawada on Sunday. | Photo credit: GN RAO

Andhra Pradesh government’s flagship ‘Yogandhra-2026’ kicked off with enthusiasm across the state on Sunday (June 7, 2026) with 25,000 people registering on the Yogandhra portal on the first day.

The initiative, which aims to engage one million people in yoga activities ahead of International Yoga Day on June 21, will continue till June 20 with awareness and promotion programs in all 28 districts.

The state-level inaugural event was held at Lepakshi Temple in Sri Sathya Sai District under the leadership of Health Minister N. Satya Kumar Yadav. Addressing the participants, the minister described yoga as a symbol of Indian culture and way of life and said it helps people stay physically and mentally healthy. He called on citizens to actively participate in the program.

Health, Medical and Family Welfare Commissioner G. Veerapandian said 5,922 master trainers were trained over the weekend. Under their guidance, 50,752 people completed yoga training on Sunday alone. The government aims to train 2.5 million people through the five-day programme.

Yoga events were also held at key locations across the state, including Lepakshi (1,952 participants), Ontimitta in Kadapa district (625), Manginapudi Beach in Krishna district (758) and SV Zoo Park in Tirupati (2,150).

Thematic yoga programs were organized in Vijayawada and Amalapuram. Around 1,000 police officers participated in the Vijayawada event, while 845 farmers participated in the program in Amalapuram. The yoga awareness competitions held in 253 village and divisional secretariats attracted about 1,700 participants on Sunday. These competitions will continue for 13 days with various topics related to yoga.

The government has also directed all government medical colleges to organize Yogandhra activities by June 20 and encourage medical students to actively participate in the campaign.

Published – 07 Jun 2026 22:26 IST