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Journalism of Courage
Written by Basit Khan
The Centre will soon give star-ratings to schools based on the importance they give to students’ physical fitness and also introduce fitness awards for villages and districts, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju said on Tuesday.
Rijiju was at the JL Nehru Stadium in Delhi for a walkathon, the last event of a 26-day anti-obesity campaign started by fitness services provider VLCC.
The fitness grading system for schools was first mentioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Mann ki Baat address on Sunday. The rankings are in three categories — The Fit India Schools, which is the first ranking, Fit India School (3-star) and Fit India School (5-star).
At Tuesday’s event, Rijiju said from this year, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is observing a ‘Fitness Week’ in the second and third week of November as part of the Fit India Movement. He said the movement was not just a government initiative, but a movement of the people of India.
“Citizens need to be fit. The activity doesn’t mean sitting on your laptop and playing games, but going outdoors and sweating it out. Physical fitness is important not just for youngsters, but for people of all ages,” Rijiju said.
“The Fit India movement had united people from all parts of India, from coastal areas to deserts to the Himalayas, in a common mission. This will improve the health and fitness of Indians,” the Union minister said.
At the event, Rijiju also took the orange pledge — a fitness pledge by VLCC. So far, more than one million people have taken the pledge as part of an online campaign.
