On the occasion of International Yoga Day, the AYUSH ministry has announced to give the ‘Prime Minister’s Award for Outstanding Contribution towards the Development and Promotion of Yoga’ for 2022 to two individuals and two organisations in recognition of their contributions in the space.
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Award winners:
Two individuals Bhikkhu Sanghasena from Ladakh, Marcus Vinicius Rojo Rodrigues from Brazil and two organisations, “The Divine Life Society” from Uttarakhand and the British Wheel of Yoga from United Kingdom have been chosen for award. They will also receive ₹25 lakh as cash prize, a trophy and a certificate.
Key points:
- Sanghasena is the founder of the Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre in Leh, and a social and spiritual worker. Earlier, the Gandhi Peace Foundation conferred him with the World Peace Award in 2004.
- Rojo trained at Kaivalyadhama School in Lonavla, which was founded by Swami Kuvalayananda. Upon his return to Brazil, he acted as the main promoter of yoga in the country, emphasising on the scientific teachings of Swami Kuvalayananda.
- Similarly, the British Wheel of Yoga in the United Kingdom was founded by Wilfred Clark in 1965. He practiced yoga during his army service in the First World War. Later, he started teaching yoga and eventually opened up the Wheel. The organisation is now committed to promoting a better understanding of yoga through education and training programs.
About the award:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced these awards on the second International Yoga Day to felicitate individuals and organisations who have made a significant impact on society for a sustained time period through the promotion and development of yoga. The awards for the Outstanding Contribution towards the Development and Promotion of Yogawas announced by the Prime Minister of India on the occasion of the 2nd International Day of Yoga celebrations at Chandigarh on 21st June, 2016.
The selection of the awardees was made after a two-stage process that reviewed the contributions made by institutions and individuals that were shortlisted. The selections were done under four categories – international individual, international organisation, national individual and national organisation.