Plea in SC seeks broadcast of ‘COVID yoga protocols’ daily

A plea has been moved in the Supreme Court seeking direction for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to take steps to broadcast 'COVID yoga protocols' as well as other customised yoga protocols every morning and evening in order to strengthen the body's immune system and overall development of mind and body.

The plea, filed by BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay, also sought direction to the Ministry of AYUSH to develop a standard yoga protocol to enhance COVID resistance, in addition to customised yoga protocols to control most common diseases like diabetes, fever, infections and cardiovascular, respiratory and digestive diseases.

The petitioner sought direction for the Ministry of Human Resources to develop a standard textbooks on "Environment, Health and Yoga Science" for students of classes 1 to 8 and make its study compulsory throughout the country. The petitioner claimed that yoga is a scientific, universal method, a tradition, a culture of self-discipline, self-realization & self-revelation. It is not a ritualistic procedure or a sectarian bunch of knowledge, but rather a medical and life science.

"Yoga is a science that connects mind-body through body postures, controlled breathing & meditation. It develops scientific temper, humanism and spirit of inquiry & reform," argued the plea.

The plea contended that the right to health is an integral part of the right to life guaranteed under the Constitution's Article 21, and it includes protection, prevention, cure and improvement of health and is a minimum requirement to enable a person to live with human dignity.

The petitioner also urged the apex court to pass a direction to the Ministry of AYUSH to frame a 'National Yoga Policy' to promote and propagate yoga in order to make people fully aware.

Detailing various benefits of yoga, which include sound sleep, balance and control over body, integrated functioning of the body, stress reduction, emotional health benefits etc, the petition said that: "COVID pandemic is spreading rapidly and no vaccine or medicine has been discovered till date. Experts say that regular yoga can protect people from COVID but the AYUSH Ministry has failed to develop a standard yoga protocol to resist COVID. It has also not developed customized Protocols to control common diseases viz. diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, tumours, digestive diseases, fever and infections and diarrhoeal diseases etc."