PM Modi urges students, teachers to participate in 'Fit India Week'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged students, parents and teachers to participate in the 'Fit India Week' programme, an initiative taken up by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

"CBSE has taken a commendable initiative of introducing the concept of 'Fit India week'. Schools can celebrate the fitness week in December. It can involve several fitness-related activities, including sports, games, yoga and dance. I appeal to all the schools to celebrate it. Students, parents and teachers must take part in it," Prime Minister Modi said during his 59th edition of Mann Ki Baat.

"Fit India doesn't mean just exercising the mind or making fitness plans on paper or merely looking at fitness apps on the laptop or computer or on a mobile phone. Not at all you have to sweat it out. The food habits have to change", he added.

Appealing all schools to join Fit India Ranking, he said: "Fit India should become a part of an individual's life naturally and comfortably. It should become a mass movement and efforts shall be taken up to create mass awareness on the fitness issue."

The prime objective of the programme is to indulge school children in "active field time" than "passive screen time".

As many as 22,000 CBSE schools will participate in the fitness programme and indigenous games from every state will be included in the active field time.