BRICS Friendship Cycling Rally Held In Visakhapatnam

A vibrant BRICS Friendship Cycling Event was held in Visakhapatnam as part of the BRICS Youth and Sports Ministers’ Meeting being hosted by India. The cycling rally was organised as part of the 87th edition of Fit India Sundays on Cycle, with Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya and Minister of State Raksha Khadse leading the event.

This week’s edition of the nationwide cycling initiative was organised around the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan theme. Ministers and senior officials from Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, the UAE, Iran and South Africa participated in the event, which sought to promote friendship, cooperation and people-to-people connections among BRICS member countries.

Addressing participants, Mansukh Mandaviya said the Fit India movement, inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has steadily expanded across the country and is encouraging people, particularly young citizens, to make fitness a part of their daily lives.

He said more than 18,000 locations across India witnessed participation by youngsters in the cycling initiative as part of efforts to spread the message of fitness. Mandaviya also highlighted the wider benefits of cycling, noting that greater use of bicycles can help reduce traffic congestion and pollution while conserving fuel and contributing to savings in foreign exchange.

“ A healthy individual makes a healthy society, and a strong society can build a prosperous nation,” Mandaviya said, calling upon people to cycle every Sunday and contribute to the broader goal of Viksit Bharat.

The foreign delegates attending the event appreciated the manner in which India has taken the cycling movement to the grassroots through the Fit India initiative. They also participated in the Nasha Mukt Bharat pledge, joining Indian youth and participants in taking a commitment to stand against substance abuse.

The event combined fitness, environmental awareness and international friendship, providing a platform for BRICS representatives and Indian youth to connect through a common sporting activity.