Minister in-charge of Mysuru district S.T. Somashekar on Tuesday said 12,000 have so far registered for the International Day of Yoga-2022 celebrations to be led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the palace on June 21. The number of participants at the mega yoga show has been restricted to 15,000.
A total of 17 blocks for the yoga enthusiasts will be created in 10 lakh square feet area on the palace premises. Two yoga blocks have been reserved for the VIPs. The event is being organised by the AYUSH Ministry, Government of India. People from all walks of life will get to perform yoga in the presence of the Prime Minister. The participants will get a yoga mat, mobile pouch and a shoe bag, he told reporters, after a meeting with officials at the Deputy Commissioner’s office here.
Regional Commissioner G.C. Prakash said here on Tuesday at his office that the Prime Minister will be interacting with the beneficiaries on June 20 at 3.30 p.m. at the Maharaja College grounds.
Two-vaccine dose or negative certificate must
As a safety precaution, the participants must have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine or carry an RT-PCR negative report 72 hours before the event. All guidelines and protocols issued by the Centre on the event will be strictly complied with by the State government, Mr. Somashekar said.
The Minister said the final rehearsal for the mega show will be held on June 19 at the palace. All gates of the palace will be shut before 5.30 a.m. for security reasons. The participants will get breakfast after the event.
Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education K. Sudhakar, who was also present, said a lot of emphasis has been laid on cleanliness before and after the Yoga Day event. The participants have been told to maintain hygiene. Health Department staff will be present at the venue.
Mysuru MP Pratap Simha, MLA S.A. Ramdas, Deputy Commissioner Bagadi Gautham, Police Commissioner Chandragupta and others were present.
Earlier in the day, Minister in-charge of Mysuru district S.T. Somashekar said registrations done by yoga enthusiasts will get an opportunity to perform yoga at the palace. Anybody can register to participate and only those who officially register can get to participate in the mega show. The registration is being done online and there was no confusion in this regard as the Centre has permitted 15,000 participants at the palace for the yoga day, the Minister told reporters here.
When asked about the move to transfer the operations of Lalitha Mahal Palace Hotel to a private player, he said a Cabinet sub-committee has been constituted to look into the matter. “This issue was discussed when C.P. Yogeshwara was the Tourism Minister. The elected representatives here had expressed their opposition to handing over the Lalith Mahal Hotel operations to a renowned hotel chain and therefore the proposal was put on hold,” he informed.
The maintenance of hotel operations was handed over to Jungle Lodges and Resorts. Now, the sub-committee will decide on whether to maintain the status quo or to hand over its maintenance to others. Ministers Anand Singh and Narayana Gowda are in the Cabinet sub-committee, Mr. Somashekar said.
To a question, the Minister said the government was in favour of developing the property as Lalitha Mahal Palace is well-known and popular among the international travelers.
“The issue over its maintenance was brought to the notice of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai by some guests and tourists. The CM discussed it in the Cabinet meeting. A decision was taken to constitute the sub-committee,” he replied.
