New Delhi, Jun 21 (PTI) Several Union ministers on Tuesday participated in the International Yoga Day celebrations at historical sites across the country.Since 2015, the International Day of Yoga has been celebrated worldwide on June 21 every year.As part of the "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav", yoga demonstrations by Union Cabinet ministers took place at 75 iconic sites across India. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya joined the celebrations at the Statue of Unity in Gujarat"s Kevadia and called on citizens to take a pledge to be healthy and contribute to the country"s development. Underlining the benefits of yoga, Mandaviya, who performed asanas along with hundreds of participants, said the citizens of a country need to be healthy for it to become a developed nation, according to a health ministry statement. In Arunachal Pradesh, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju led the Yoga Day event at Dong in Anjaw district, bordering China. It is the eastern-most village in India, near the point where borders of India, China and Myanmar meet. Dong receives the first sunrise in India, thus earning it the nickname "India"s Land of the Rising Sun". Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan led yoga demonstrations at the east entrance of the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple in Kerala and Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways and Civil Aviation, V K Singh took part in an event at the Parade Ground near St Francis Church in Fort Kochi. The event was organised in the southern state by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways of India (MORTH) following the Centre"s decision to celebrate the International Yoga Day at 75 iconic locations across the country. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Culture took part in an event organised by the National Institute of Ayurveda at Jantar Mantar in Jaipur, Rajasthan while Union Minister of State for Finance Dr Bhagwat Karad led a crowd of nearly 7,500 people in performing yoga at the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav joined the eclebrations at Ram ki Paidi on the banks of the Saryu river in Ayodhya and called on people to adopt a lifestyle conducive for the environment. Addressing a gathering of more than 5,000 people on the occasion, Yadav said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has created a sense of collectiveness and awareness about yoga among people. "With the power to transform lives, yoga is India"s gift to the world. It bestows upon us strength, energy and consciousness, paving the way for oneness with nature. Today, join in #YogaForHumanity, and start a journey towards LiFE, Lifestyle for Environment (sic)," Yadav tweeted. Union Minister of State for Food Processing Prahlad Singh Patel attended a Yoga Day programme at Fort Aguada in Sinquerim village in North Goa district, while Union Minister of State for Tourism Shripad Naik participated in a function in Old Goa. Naik said people across the globe have been commemorating this day. Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi performed yoga with a large number of people at the historic Panch Mahal in Fatehpur Sikri in Uttar Pradesh’s Agra, according to an official release. Naqvi said yoga is the “perfect Indian hamper” of health, harmony, and happiness and termed the ancient practice as the “golden key” to good health. Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Kaushal Kishore travelled to Nagaland to attend a Yoga Day event at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama, some 12 km south of the state capital. Addressing the participants there, Kishore said yoga improves the physical wellbeing, increases the mental stability while also fighting against various diseases including asthma, blood pressure, and blood sugar, he said. Yoga is like an insurance for all of us, he said, adding that if one desires to have good health, regular yoga practice is a must. After two years of symbolic celebrations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, International Yoga Day was celebrated with great enthusiasm across the country. This year, International Yoga Day witnessed many firsts, including a "Guardian Ring" programme which entails live streaming of people performing yoga in 16 different time zones along with the rise of the sun. PTI GVS/UPL/RG/LGK/SS/SDA RHL