Union Sports Minister Highlights Link Between Fitness, Economic Growth and Youth Potential
MoS Sports, Raksha Nikhil Khadse Calls for Collective Effort Towards a Fitter India
Rohit Shetty, Harbhajan Singh and Saina Nehwal Felicitated at National Fitness & Wellness Conclave 2025 as Fit India Icons along with Other Celebrities
Mumbai, November 01, 2025: 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. The conclave celebrated India’s growing fitness and wellness movement under the Fit India Mission, marking a major step towards building a Fit and Viksit Bharat.
Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports, Smt. Raksha Nikhil Khadse, felicitated Saiyami Kher, Shivoham and Vrinda Bhatt as Fit India Icons, recognizing their contribution to promoting health and wellness across communities. Ankur Garg and Fit India Champions Karan Tacker, Vishwas Patil, and Krishna Prakash were also honoured by Dr. Mandaviya as Fit India Ambassadors for inspiring citizens to embrace fitness as a way of life.
Union Minister’s Address: Fitness as a National Priority
Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya emphasized, “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.”
He added, “Only if the middle 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.”
Dr. Mandaviya further stated, “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.”
Raksha Khadse’s Call for Unity in Fitness
Smt. Raksha Nikhil 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.”
Celebrity Voices on Fitness
Film director and producer Rohit Shetty cautioned against “health influencers” who preach fitness on social media without proper knowledge, saying, “It is a scary scenario. The new generation has to be careful when they want to grow their bodies overnight.”
Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal remarked, “Fitness is related to sports culture. Look at China and Japan — their excellent results in global competitions come from fitness culture. In India, this is changing. There is talent but no shortcut to success. Parents need to be patient and focus on fitness first. Also, keep that mobile phone away and be strict with your child.”
World Cup champion Harbhajan Singh added, “India often lost matches due to lack of fitness. All credit to Virat Kohli for changing that mindset. We always had skills, but now Indian cricketers are superbly fit. They don’t drop catches anymore. 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.”
Panel Discussions: Building a Sustainable Fitness Culture
Experts and stakeholders in the two panel discussions agreed that fitness culture must start at a young age. Parents play a crucial role in ensuring children don’t become addicted to mobile phones. They also highlighted the need to guard against spurious supplements, misleading advice on building muscles quickly, and the lure of junk food sold through online apps.
About Fit India Movement
The Fit India Movement was launched on 29th August, 2019 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make fitness an integral part of daily life. The mission aims to inspire behavioral change and promote an active lifestyle through various initiatives and events across the country.
- To promote fitness as easy, fun, and free.
- To spread awareness on fitness and physical activities through focused campaigns.
- To encourage indigenous sports.
- To make fitness reach every school, college, university, and village.
- To create a platform for citizens to share fitness information and stories, driving awareness and motivation.