Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said yoga can pave the way to lasting peace at a time when the world is challenged with terrorism and climate change, while addressing the week-long International Yoga Festival at Rishikesh in Uttarakhand via video conferencing. He further said there should be peace among nations and that is possible only when there is peace within the society. He said yoga can create such harmony and peace within individuals, family, society, nation and ultimately all over the world.

Saying that yoga makes a person better, Mr Modi stressed that it is unfair to see yoga only as a set of physical exercises that keep the body fit. He said there is ample evidence that practicing Yoga helps fight stress and life-style related diseases.

Mr Modi said through the Swachh Bharat Mission, government is attempting to establish a link between community hygiene and personal health. He said the Mission now includes the Project “Swachh Iconic Places” under which in the first phase, the surroundings of Kamakhya temple, Jagannath Puri, Meenakshi temple, Tirupati, Golden temple, and Vaishno Devi will be cleaned.

Mr Modi said people come to India whenever there is quest to know about self. He quoted Swami Vivekananda saying expansion is life and contraction is death. He appreciated the work being done by Parmarth Niketan in bringing Yoga closer to people across the world.