'Fit India Movement' an important step towards making country healthy: Modi

Asserting that the newly launched 'Fit India' is not a campaign but a movement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged the masses must follow it in order to make the country fit and healthy.

Addressing a gathering at Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex during the launch of 'Fit India Movement', the Prime Minister said, "This is an important step towards making India fit and healthy. The event has been presented so well that I feel my speech is not even needed. The conceptualisation of the event was brilliant. This must become a mass movement. Videos from the event must be shown to students across India."

Remembering the "magician of hockey", Major Dhyan Chand, on his 115th birth anniversary, Modi said, "Many congratulations to all on the occasion of National Sports Day. We got a great sportsperson in the form of Major Dhyan Chand today. He left the world spellbound with his fitness, stamina, and a hockey stick and I pay my tribute to him today."

The Prime Minister also congratulated the Ministry of Sports and Youth Department for taking an important step towards a healthy nation, for launching Fit India Movement.

He opined that talking about diet has become "fashionable" while technology and development have reduced physical activity.

Lecturing about how the emergence of technology has led to the laxity in terms of fitness in the society, he said, "There used to be some physical activity and then came technological change. Our physical activity has gone down. The cases of diabetes and hypertension have gone up. The situation today is that we walk less and the technology tells us how many steps we have walked. People download fitness apps on their phones and don't even check them later."

He continued, "Lifestyle diseases are taking place due to lifestyle disorder. We can get rid of these diseases simply by making minor changes in our lifestyle. We can save our lives. Every family must debate about fitness when they sit together."

"Our athletes and sportspersons make us proud world over and ensure that the Indian flag flies high wherever they go. They bring prestige to the nation and to all us citizens.," Modi said.

Concluding his speech on fitness, the Prime Minister said, "There is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs. It is true that success and fitness have an intangible bond. You cannot be successful unless you are mentally and physically fit."

The Prime Minister also administered a fitness pledge on the occasion.

'Fit India movement', was launched on the occasion of the National Sports Day, with an aim to encourage people to instill physical activity and sports in their everyday lives.