Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Sunday led the 85th edition of Fit India Sundays on Cycle from Hanol in Gujarat, with participants across the country taking a collective pledge to stay away from substance abuse and promote a healthy lifestyle.
Held under the Fit India movement, the nationwide campaign adopted ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’ (Drug-Free India) as its theme, with the slogan “Say yes to fitness, Say NO to drugs.” The initiative sought to place young people at the forefront of the fight against substance abuse by encouraging fitness and physical activity as positive alternatives to harmful addictions.
Calling Sundays on Cycle a mass movement, Mandaviya said the initiative has evolved into a major platform supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Fit India vision. He said young people across more than 10,000 locations had participated in the cycling initiative and helped spread the message of fitness.
Launched by Mandaviya in December 2024, Sundays on Cycle has so far attracted more than 30 lakh participants across the country.
In Delhi, the main event was organised at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, where more than 1,000 participants took the ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’ pledge to lead lives free from substance abuse and encourage their families, friends and communities to adopt healthier lifestyles.
The programme began early in the morning, with participants arriving at the stadium from around 5.30 am for yoga, Zumba and other fitness activities. They later undertook a five-kilometre cycling ride around India Gate and Kartavya Path.
A dedicated game zone at the venue offered activities such as carrom, chess, ludo and badminton. Participants also took part in tug-of-war and an obstacle race as part of the fitness programme.
Actor and model Siddharth Nigam, international squash player and junior national champion Gurveer Singh, IRS officer and Fit India Ambassador Narendra Kumar and Fit India Champion and Zumba instructor Meenal Pathak were among the special guests at the Delhi event.
Nigam, who is also a gymnast, urged people to stay away from drugs, cigarettes and alcohol and devote at least 30 minutes every day to physical activity. He said the discipline he developed through gymnastics had helped shape him and called for replacing harmful addictions with a commitment to fitness and personal goals.
Gurveer Singh also encouraged young people to make physical activity part of their daily routine, saying initiatives such as Fit India and Nasha Mukt Bharat could help steer youth away from addictions and towards healthier lifestyles.
The cycling drive was organised simultaneously across all States and Union Territories, including through Sports Authority of India (SAI) Regional Centres, National Centres of Excellence, SAI Training Centres, Khelo India State Centres of Excellence and Khelo India Centres.
Thousands of Namo Fit India Clubs, cycling groups, schools and colleges also participated in the nationwide campaign.
The Fit India Sundays on Cycle initiative is being organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in collaboration with the Cycling Federation of India, Raahgiri Foundation and MY Bharat.
