HRD should make yoga mandatory in school curriculam: Anbumani

Chennai, Nov 12 (UNI) The Union Health Ministry has written to the Human Resources Development (HRD) Ministry to make yoga mandatory at the school-level by including it in the curriculam, Union Health Minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss said today.

Launching a puppet show film on diabetes prevention and dedicating it to the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) on the occasion of ''World Diabetes Day,'' organised by the city-based M V Hospital and Diabetes Research Centre here, Dr Ramadoss pointed out that the ongoing national awareness programme on non-communicable diseases had evoked a good response among the people throughout the country.

Expressing concern over the high percentage of diabetic patients in Tamil Nadu, he said about 15 to 20 per cent people in the state were suffering the disease and called for a joint effort to eradicate.

The Union Government was making all efforts to bring down the Maternity Mortality Rate (MMR) from the existing 300 to 100 in the next three years, he said adding that the Health Ministry was continuing to hold talks with the pharmaceutical industry to reduce the price of drugs.

The Ministry had given a deadline till August 2007 to label all food packets properly by indicating the ingredients used in the food commodities and also the value of nutritious content.

He said the Health Ministry was also worried about IT professionals losing their lives in an early age of 25 and 26 in the country and the reason behind this might be their food and change of cultural activities.

For remedying this, at least in future, the Health Ministry was going to hold talks with the Union IT Ministry, he added.

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