Modi arrives in Dehradun to attend Yoga Day event

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here tonight to take part in the main International Yoga Day event to be held here tomorrow.

The prime minister was accorded a warm welcome by Uttarakhand Governor K K Paul, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, Assembly Speaker Premchand Aggarwal, state BJP president Ajay Bhatt, Haridwar MP Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank, Chief Secretary Utpal Kumar Singh and DGP Anil Raturi at the Jollygrant airport.

The prime minister will spend the night at Raj Bhawan.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat posted a blog earlier in the day to thank the prime minister for choosing Uttarakhand to host the event, saying it will establish the state's identity as the land of yoga and give a boost to tourism which will generate fresh job opportunities.

Modi will join thousands of volunteers performing yoga asanas in Dehradun to mark the 4th International Yoga Day tomorrow while many Union ministers will join similar events across the country.

The exercise in Dehradun will be held in the picturesque lawns of the Forest Research Institute (FRI) in the lap of the Himalayas.