'Surpassed My Expectations': PM Modi Lauds 'Bhai' Lokesh For Yogandhra's Success At Cabinet Meet
At Wednesday's union cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted an initiative, sources told CNN-News18, that deeply impressed him— Yogandhra. The Prime Minister praised the efforts of the Andhra Pradesh government, referring to the month-long yoga campaign as 'an extraordinary achievement". He specifically commended chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and minister Nara Lokesh for their vision and execution, describing it as one of the most ambitious and impactful yoga programmes he had witnessed.
'I have seen many such programmes over the years, but nothing on the scale or with the spirit of Yogandhra. The way it was conceptualised and implemented surpassed my expectations," the PM reportedly told his cabinet colleagues.
He lauded the state's ability to unite people from all walks of life—across age, gender, and community—for 30 consecutive days of yoga activities. 'It was not just an event," Modi noted, 'it was a movement." Reflecting on his participation in Visakhapatnam, he added that the experience stood out among all the yoga events he had attended in the past 11 years.
So impressed was the Prime Minister that he requested Andhra Pradesh to submit a detailed report outlining the planning, outreach, and implementation of the Yogandhra campaign. Once received, Modi said he would circulate the report to all other states, encouraging them to study it and possibly replicate its best practices.
The Prime Minister's words served as both appreciation and endorsement, turning Yogandhra into a national case study for community engagement and wellness promotion.
On June 21, marked as the International Day of Yoga, Visakhapatnam made history by hosting 3,02,087 participants, setting a new Guinness World Record for the largest yoga gathering at a single venue. Some participants had arrived as early as 2 am, demonstrating the deep community engagement that powered the event.
In line with the Naidu government's focus on innovation, technology played a pivotal role, with a QR code-based tracking system ensuring precise attendance data in a first-of-its-kind innovation, setting a new benchmark in public event management. Another record was set during the Yogandhra campaign—the largest synchronised Surya Namaskar, performed by 22,122 tribal students, which also earned a place in the Guinness World Records.
First Published:
June 25, 2025, 19:41 IST
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