RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3850
TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.04.2017
YOGA TRANING CENTRES RUN BY ICCR
3850. DR. VINAY P. SAHASRABUDDHE:
Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:
(a) the number of yoga tranining centres being run by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in different countries and the details of enrolement of trainees and teachers in these centres.
(b) the budgetary allocations made by ICCR to these centres during the last financial year; and
(c) the overall assessment of the Ministry about the functioning of these centres and in what way the ICCR/Ministry ensures quality control over these centres?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
[GEN. (DR) V. K. SINGH (RETD)]
(a) & (b) While ICCR does not run any Yoga Training Centres, it has 37 Cultural Centres in various countries of the world (List attached at Annexure-I)
and deploys India-based Yoga Teachers in 21 of these Centres. In addition to these Yoga teachers in 21 Cultural Centres, ICCR deploys two Yoga teachers each at India-China Yoga College, Unnan Minzu University, Kunming, China and India-Turkenistan Centre of Yoga and Traditional Medicines, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, both established in 2015. Number of students being trained in these Centres and the approximate annual expenditure incurred by ICCR is attached at Annexure-II.
(c) The ICCR have been instrumental in promoting India’s soft power including Yoga abroad. ICCR has been deploying India-based Yoga Teachers at its Centres since 1980s. Since the declaration of International Yoga Day formally in 2015, perception about Yoga has taken a new global dimension and promotion of Yoga as India’s gift to the world for overall well being of humanity has brought Yoga to centre stage. This is demonstrated by the increasing demand for Yoga classes in our Centres.
To ensure quality, ICCR is empanelling Yoga teachers having QCI certification introduced by Ministry of Ayush. ICCR, ICCs, MEA and Missions are monitoring the Yoga programmes, on a regular basis to ensure high quality yoga events and teaching practices.
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