Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute, Pune has been selected as the first recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for outstanding contribution to promotion and development of Yoga. They have worked to spread Yoga, internationally, over a period of four decades. The Institute has published books on Yoga and these have been translated into multiple languages.

There are thousands of Iyengar Yoga teachers popularising and propagating yoga across the world. The selection was done from among 85 nominations received and 15 more recommended by the Screening Committee.  The institution of the award was announced by the Prime Minister on the occasion of the Second International Day of Yoga at Chandigarh last year.

The Award was recommended by an Evaluation Committee (Jury) constituted under the Chairmanship of the Cabinet Secretary and included Additional Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary, Secretary (AYUSH) and Dr. Veerendra Heggade as its members.