Sisodia requests LG to ensure continuation of AAP govt’s ‘Dilli ki Yogshala’ scheme

PTI, Oct 29, 2022, 8:40 AM IST

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia met LG V K Saxena on Friday and urged him to ensure that the AAP government’s flagship scheme, ”Dilli Ki Yogshala”, providing free yoga classes to people is allowed to continue.

Sisodia said the lieutenant governor has promised that the related documents will be looked into and nothing wrong will be allowed to happen.

Earlier this week, Sisodia had sought an explanation from the principal secretary, training and technical education, alleging that she was trying to discontinue the scheme.

According to a statement issued by the Delhi government, Sisodia told the LG that most of the 17,000 beneficiaries of the scheme had contracted COVID-19 earlier and hence, it needs to continue for their sake as yoga will be beneficial for them.

Sisodia had accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday of ”conspiring” to shut the ”Dilli ki Yogshala” programme by putting pressure on officials.

He had also said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had given his nod for the continuation of the programme and sent the file to the LG for approval.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government launched the programme last year to provide yoga instructors to the citizens of Delhi for free. Currently, 590 yoga classes with more than 17,000 beneficiaries are being conducted across the national capital on a daily basis.

Sisodia had alleged that the TTE secretary was wrongly and forcibly trying to discontinue the ”Dilli ki Yogshala” programme and sabotage the AAP government’s efforts to arrange free yoga classes for the benefit of thousands of Delhiites.

He had claimed that at a meeting of the board of governors of the Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University (DPSRU) on September 30, it was decided to discontinue the programme on the ”insistence” of the TTE secretary.

He had said the Assembly had approved a budget for the DPSRU to start the Centre for Meditation and Yoga Sciences (CMYS), which is mandated to conduct certification and diploma programmes to train yoga instructors.