Mumbai, Nov 1 : The Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports and Labour & Employment, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, felicitated the newly-appointed Fit India Icons, Bollywood producer Rohit Shetty, World Cup-winning cricketer Harbhajan Singh, and Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal, at the National Fitness & Wellness Conclave 2025, held at The Trident in Mumbai on Saturday. The conclave celebrated India's growing fitness and wellness movement under the Fit India Mission, marking a significant step towards building a Fit and Viksit Bharat.

Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports, Raksha Nikhil Khadse, felicitated Saiyami Kher, Shivoham, and Vrinda Bhatt as Fit India Icons, recognising their contribution to promoting health and wellness across communities. Ankur Garg, and Fit India Champions Karan Tacker, Vishwas Patil, and Krishna Prakash were also felicitated by Union Sports Minister Dr. Mandaviya as Fit India Ambassadors for their ongoing efforts in inspiring citizens to embrace fitness as a way of life.

'If we do not understand the value of fitness, it will not be possible to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047. Times have changed. In earlier days, people travelled on foot and cycled to distant places. Fitness happened naturally. In a digital world, we hardly move and don't care about fitness. We have to find ways to break that," the Union Minister said.

'Only if the middle class and upper middle class give priority to fitness will we grow faster as a nation. No other economy in the world is growing at 8% annually. Imagine what fitness can do to India, where 65% of the population is below the age of 35,' added Dr. Mandaviya.

'Fitness is not only about health. It is integral to business as well. There is a huge market for sports goods. I can see how the awareness towards sports is changing. If we can harness sports science and produce nutrition supplements and fitness equipment in India, the sports fitness industry will stand to gain immensely,' he further elaborated.

Smt. Raksha Khadse said, 'India is an emerging nation in sports. The opportunities in the fitness world are immense. It is necessary that the entire ecosystem comes together and works towards a fitter India. Sundays on Cycle is a small effort, but the results can be great in the long run. India's all-round growth is clearly related to physical and mental growth.'

Film director and producer Rohit Shetty cautioned against 'health influencers' who preach fitness on social media without proper knowledge. 'It is a scary scenario. The new generation has to be careful when they want to grow their bodies overnight.'

Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal said, 'Fitness is related to sports culture'.

'Look at China and Japan. Their excellent results in global competitions are a result of the fitness culture. In India, this is changing. There is a lot of talent, but there is no shortcut to success. Parents need to understand that and be patient. Pay attention to fitness first, and excellence will come with hard work. Also, keep that mobile phone away and be strict with your child,' said Saina.

World Cup cricket champion Harbhajan Singh said India often lost matches due to a lack of fitness. 'All credit to Virat Kohli for changing that mindset. We always had the skills, but Indian cricketers are now superbly fit. They don't drop catches anymore, and that makes a difference. Eat right, rest right, and work out properly, and see the difference. I really appreciate the efforts of the Prime Minister and the Sports Ministry for prioritising fitness,' said Harbhajan.

Stakeholders who participated in the two panel discussions around fitness culture and the fitness industry agreed unanimously that fitness culture has to start from a young age, and parents have a role to play in ensuring children don't get addicted to mobile phones. Experts suggested that precautions should be taken against spurious supplements, wrong advice on how to build a muscular body quickly, and guard against food apps that sell junk food.

The FIT INDIA Movement was launched on August 29, 2019, by PM Narendra Modi with a view to making fitness an integral part of our daily lives. The mission of the Movement is to bring about behavioural changes and move towards a more physically active lifestyle.

/IANS