NEW DELHI:The government on Thursday clarified that there is no plan to make teaching of yoga compulsory at all educational institutions in the country.

However, it said yoga is a subject along with physical and health education for schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

“Yoga is one of the subjects along with physical and health education, and is also included as part of the physical activity in all schools affiliated to CBSE across the country,” AYUSH Minister of State Shripad Naik told Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

He said, “Education is a concurrent subject and state governments administer the schools within their jurisdiction (and also) develop and prescribe their own curriculum.”

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The minister said yoga is also included as one of the chapters under physical education curriculum at the senior secondary level.

The University Grants Commission has informed that yoga has been included in the modules on health, nutrition, fitness and general well-being in all courses at the under-graduate and post-graduate levels while framing the revised XIIth Plan guidelines on the scheme of development of sports infrastructure and equipment at universities and colleges, Naik said.

In a separate statement, Naik said the Centre provides grant-in aid to states for setting up of AYUSH gram under National AYUSH Mission (NAM). The total amount of grant released under NAM for setting up of AYUSH Gram is Rs 215.15 lakh, he said.

The Centre has also created facilities for scientific validation of AYUSH systems of medicine through five research councils.