Advisory Committee for Fit India Movement formed

A committee comprising government officials, members of Indian Olympic Association (IOA), national sports federations, private bodies and fitness promoters has been formed to advise the government on the "Fit India Movement" which will be launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 29.

The nation-wide campaign aims to encourage people to inculcate physical activity and sports in their everyday lives, a statement said.

The 28-member committee, which will be under the chairmanship of sports minister Kiren Rijiju, has 12 members from the government, including secretaries of Sports, Secondary Education, Ayush, Youth Affairs, among others.

IOA President and seven NSF heads, including those of boxing, athletics, football and cycling, are also a part of the committee.

Representatives of private bodies such as Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Reliance Foundation, JSW Cement and JSW Paints, SE TransStadia Pvt. Ltd., Tata Trusts, ASSOCHAM India, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), and actors Shilpa Shetty and Milind Soman will also be involved.

Last year, then sports minister Rajyavardhan Rathore had also floated a fitness campaign called #HumFitTohIndiaFit. He had posted a video on Twitter doing 10 push-ups while encouraging sports personalities and people to share pictures and videos on the site to show how they kept themselves fit.