Prime Minister’s Awards for Yoga 2024

Background

Yoga is an invaluable gift of ancient Indian tradition. The word "Yoga" is derived from the Sanskrit root yuj meaning "to join", "to yoke" or "to unite", symbolizing the unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between human and nature, and a holistic approach to health and well-being. Yoga is known for disease prevention, health promotion and management of many life style related disorders. Recognizing its universal appeal, on 11Th December 2014, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution (resolution 69/131) proclaiming 21ST June as the International Day of Yoga (IDY).

Purpose of the Awards

The Hon’ble Prime Minister, on the second International Day of Yoga announced two Yoga awards – one International and other National – to be given on the occasion of International Day of Yoga. The purpose of the Award is to recognize and felicitate individual(s)/ organization(s) who have made significant impact on the society for a sustained period of time by way of promotion and development of Yoga.

About the Awards

The awards are being proposed to be given each year for exemplary contribution in the field of Yoga towards the development and promotion of Yoga. It has been proposed that the contribution be recognized both at the National as well as International levels. The award would be given annually on the occasion of “International Day of Yoga (IDY)” (21st June). 21st June has been declared as IDY, commonly referred to as Yoga Day, by the United Nations General Assembly.

Nomenclature of the Awards

In order to ensure that proponents who are making excellent contribution to Yoga are honoured, the Prime Minister of India, on the occasion of International Day of Yoga in 2016, had announced awards for promotion and development of Yoga.

- Prime Minister’s Awards for Yoga at National Level (2 Nos)

- Prime Minister’s Awards for Yoga at International Level (2 Nos)

The Award

The name of the winners will be announced by the end of 2024.
The winners will be felicitated by means of a Trophy, Certificate and a Cash Award
The felicitation ceremony will coincide with the International Yoga Conference.
The value of each Cash Award would be Rs. 25 lakh
In the case of joint winners, the awards would be divided amongst the winners

Procedure for Applying

An application, complete in all respects, can be made by the applicant directly or they may be nominated by a prominent yoga organization for consideration under this Award process.

The application is open to all entities that meet the eligibility criteria mentioned in section 4 of these guidelines. The applications/ nominations can be submitted through (MyGov platform only). Link for the same shall also be available on Ministry of Ayush’s website and National Awards Portal.

An applicant can nominate/ can be nominated for only one award category that is either the National Award or the International Award, in a particular year.

Eligibility

The intent of the awards is to recognize entities who have made significant and outstanding contributions toward the promotion and development of Yoga.

In this regard, the applicants/nominees for these awards should have a rich experience in and a deep understanding of Yoga.

The minimum eligible age of the applicant/nominee under the individual category for both National & International is 40 years.

Minimum 20 (Twenty) years of service with an impeccable track record and outstanding contribution to the promotion and development of Yoga.

Screening Committee

A screening of all the applications/ nominations received will be done by a Screening Committee which shall be constituted every year by the Ministry of Ayush. The Screening Committee shall comprise 4 members including a Chairperson.

The Screening Committee shall consider all applications/ nominations that are received by the Ministry
The Screening Committee shall recommend a maximum of 50 names for each of the Awards – National & International.

The Screening Committee shall consist of 3 official members as follows:

i. Secretary Ayush - Chairman

ii. Director, CCRYN - Member

iii. Director, MDNIY - Member

One non-official may be nominated as a member of this committee by Secretary Ayush.

Evaluation Committee (Jury)

The Evaluation Committee (Jury) shall comprise 7 members including a Chairperson. The Jury shall have eminent personalities from different walks of life, which shall be nominated by the Ministry of Ayush every year. The Jury will consider the names suggested by the Screening Committee. It may also nominate suitable candidates on its own.

The Evaluation Committee (Jury) shall consist of 4 official members as follows:

Cabinet Secretary	- Chairman
Advisor to Prime Minister	- Member
Foreign Secretary	- Member
Secretary, Ayush	- Member secretary

Three non-officials may be nominated as members of this committee by the Cabinet Secretary.

Evaluation criteria

Contribution to the body of knowledge.
Contribution to the promotion of Yoga among the masses as a means for mental, physical and spiritual health.
Impact on the society by way of strengthening ethical and spiritual values.

Evaluation Guidelines

The Jury would be the apex decision-making body for both the categories of awards.
The Jury has the right to nominate any applicant.
While evaluation, the duration for which an applicant has demonstrated the aforementioned parameters would be a key criteria.
Any jury member will be ineligible to serve on a Jury if his/her close relative is being associated with a particular applicant and the jury member will have the right to recuse himself/herself from the process.
The jury members shall maintain strict confidentiality regarding the deliberations of the meetings.
The jury members will be given a copy of the eligibility documents submitted by the applicant(s).
All Jury meetings will be held at New Delhi.
Each meeting of the jury will be recorded and the minutes will be signed by all the jury members.
In the event of a jury member not being able to attend the meeting, he/she can convey his choice in writing.
The Chairperson of the Jury may seek advice of experts in specialized areas, whenever necessary.
The decision of the jury shall be final and binding and no appeal or correspondence regarding their decision shall be entertained.
The Jury may decide its own procedure for finalising the awards every year.

General Terms and Conditions

An Applicant will be disqualified for life if it is found that they are influencing any member of the jury by way of writing letters, sending emails, making telephone calls, approaching in person or any other similar activity in this regard. This disqualification would entail that the work of such disqualified persons would not be eligible for consideration of these awards.
An Applicant can also be disqualified for a period of three years if any information provided by the Applicant is found to be incorrect, wrong or false in any manner.
Information provided by the Applicant will be deemed confidential and only used for the purposes of determining their eligibility.
While furnishing specific information in the entry form, the organization should ensure that the complete postal address, email address, telephone number, mobile phone number and fax number (if any) are duly filled.
The Ministry may seek clarifications on the documents submitted.
The start date for receiving the applications shall be 04/05/2024 and the last date for submission of entries shall be 31/07/2024. The Ministry reserves the right to reject any entries received after the last date of submission.
Grievances, if any, shall be addressed by the Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, whose decision in the matter shall be final and binding.

Disclaimer

Please exercise great care in filling this form. Details entered against each column in the application would be deemed to be final for the purpose of determination of Awards. No request for change of details would be entertained at any stage.

Prime Minister's Awards for Yoga