NEW DELHI : The PM will now be delivering a speech from the national capital. According to official sources, PM Modi will speak about the importance of Yoga Day. He is also expected to practice a few Yoga poses on live TV. The live telecast of the Prime Minister’s ”Address to the Nation” will begin at 6:40 AM, however, the event will begin at 6:15 AM on Sunday.
His address and the event will be broadcast on DD National, DD News, All India Radio, besides social media handles of PM Narendra Modi.  Last year, PM Modi was the chief guest at a mega event on the occasion of the International Yoga Day. The event was held in Ranchi.
Meanwhile, Union Culture Minister Prahlad Patel has expressed hope that nearly 10 million people will join him in performing Surya Namaskar on this year’s International Day of Yoga on Sunday.

With the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic looming large, International Day of Yoga will be celebrated on digital media platforms sans mass gatherings and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message would be the main highlight of the occasion.

Yoga Day will go digital for the first time since June 21, 2015, when it began to be celebrated annually across the world, coinciding with the Summer Solstice each year.This year’s theme is ‘Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family’ and people will be able to join the celebrations virtually at 6 am on June 21.
“I will perform Surya Namaskar at Purana Qila and I urge everybody to join me in performing Surya Namaskar from their homes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the gift of Yoga Day to the world and we should practice Yoga in our daily life,” Patel said in a statement issued by the Ministry of Culture.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address the nation on Sunday, June 21, which is also celebrated as International Yoga Day.State-broadcaster Prasar Bharti said that the address will be telecast live at 6:30 am.
While the central and state governments have celebrated the day with mass participation events for the last five years, this year the day falls right in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic which has pushed much of the world indoors.
Earlier the PM’s address was scheduled at Leh, as per the plans made before the pandemic outbreak, but now he will address the country from the national capital itself.Leh is in the Ladakh region that saw one of the bloodiest face-offs between India and China this week resulting in multiple casualties on both sides.
While he will talk about the importance of Yoga in today’s life, it is not yet clear whether he will touch upon the India-China face-off.Last year, PM Modi led a grand event on the occasion of International Day of Yoga from Ranchi. This year the event was scheduled at Leh but the plans were changed due to the pandemic outbreak across the globe.
With the news of the India-China face-off that saw 20 Indian soldiers being martyred and an all party meeting being convened by the PM on June 19 on the incident, all eyes will be on the Yoga Day broadcast to see whether the Prime Minister chooses to take up the issue directly.