BSF to send 1,900 troops for advanced yoga training by Ramdev

New Delhi, June 21: Country's largest border guarding force BSF will soon send a 1,900 personnel-strong contingent to get "advanced" training in yoga exercises and skills by Ramdev at his facility in Haridwar.

Border Security Force chief K K Sharma today said the force has decided to "intensify" yoga training to its troops and the aim is to have at least one trainer in this discipline in each platoon-level formation of the paramilitary force.

A platoon, comprising about 35 personnel, is the smallest strength of an operational team in the force. The BSF Director General said yoga acts as a stress buster and it is important for his men and women as they are deployed in some of the most arduous and difficult areas as part of their duties in the border guarding and internal security domain.

"We have included yoga as a way of life and more than 2,000 people have been trained in this skill in the force till now.

We got them trained at the Morarji Desai institute in Gujarat and Patanjali Yogpeeth in Haridwar. "We now want to intensify this and hence we are sending 1,900 basic-trained personnel to Patanjali in Haridwar next month for learning advanced yoga skills.

Ramdev will himself impart them the training," Sharma said during an event to award the forces' Yoga team that got the first prize for participating at an International Yoga Day (IYD) event here.

The DG said yoga enhances the willpower and productivity of a person and hence it is much required for the 2.5 lakh personnel-strong paramilitary force.

"There are no two opinions about yoga and that it gives both physical and mental stability and improves will power. We work in difficult and hard areas and hence stress is obvious. We can reduce and regulate that stress by doing yoga and be healthy," he said.

PTI