Ever since its inception on the 9^th of November 2014, the Ministry of AYUSH (MoA), Government of India (GoI) has been actively working with a vision to facilitate the adoption and acceptance of the practice of Yoga worldwide.

One of the key initiatives of the Ministry of AYUSH (MoA), the International Day of Yoga (IDY), has gained international recognition. The objective of observing the International Day of Yoga (IDY) is to remind people across the globe about the benefits of Yoga and take measures to build public interest in health and wellness through Yoga.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the second International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2016, had announced two categories of Yoga awards – one being International and the other being National – to be announced on the occasion of the International Day of Yoga (IDY). The purpose of the awards is to recognize and felicitate the individual(s)/organization(s) who/which have made a significant impact on the society, for a sustained period, by the way of promotion and development of Yoga.

Due to the pandemic of Covid-19, the applications for the award were not invited in 2020. However, like in previous years, the Ministry of AYUSH (MoA), Government of India (GoI) will be felicitating the achievers and unsung heroes and institutions of the domain of Yoga, from different parts of the country and across the world with the Prime Minister’s Yoga Awards (PMYA). The award will be hosted on the My Gov platform and consists of two National categories for the entities of Indian origin, and two International categories for the entities of Indian or foreign origin.

The applicants/nominees for these awards should have a rich experience in Yoga, and a deep understanding of Yoga. An application, complete in all respects, can be made by the applicant directly, or they may be nominated by a prominent person or organisation working in the field of Yoga, for consideration under this award process. 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.

The nomination process for this year began on 30/03/2021, with the last date for the submission of the entries being 30/04/2021. The selection process is a well-defined process for which two committees are constituted by the Ministry of AYUSH (MoA), Government of India (GoI), namely the Screening Committee and the Evaluation Committee (Jury), which will decide the selection and evaluation criteria for finalizing the recipients of the awards.

Interested applicants can access the PMYA page at https://innovateindia.mygov.in/pm-yoga-awards/ to understand the nominations process and participate.

The winners will be felicitated by the means of a trophy, certificate, and a cash award of Rs 25 lakh, which will be announced on the International Day of Yoga on 21^st June 2021. In-case of joint winners, the awards would be divided among the winners.