Extending greetings on the occasion of 'Gita Jayanti', Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said that all people irrespective of region, language, caste, beliefs or religion can derive inspiration for 'Nishkama Karm' (selfless action) from the Gita.

New Delhi [India], October 22 (ANI): Spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Syed Shahnawaz Hussain hit out at former Union Minister Shivraj Patil for drawing a link between jihad and the Bhagwad Gita and termed it as "extremely unfortunate".

New Delhi [India], October 21 (ANI): Former Union home minister and Congress veteran Shivraj Patil has stoked controversy with his recent claim that the concept of 'jihad' finds mention not only in the Quran but in the Bhagwad Gita and in Christianity as well.

New Delhi [India], September 23 (ANI): Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader Indresh Kumar detailed conversation that took place in the meeting with Muslim clerics and said that discussions were held on various topics including modernisation and teaching Gita in madrasas.

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], August 1 (ANI/PNN) Vice President, Venkaiah Naidu lauded the efforts made by Siva Prasad to make it easier to understand the Bhagavad Gita even for a common person.

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], May 2 (ANI): Uttarakhand Education minister Dhan Singh Rawat on Monday said that Vedas, the Ramayana, and the Gita will be taught in schools across the state.

New Delhi Mar 25 PTI Officiating chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities Syed Shahezadi on Friday said the Bhagavad Gita is not a religious book but one on philosophy days after the Gujarat government announced making it a part of school syllabus The Gujarat government last week announced in the state Assembly that the Bhagavad Gita would be a part of the school syllabus for Classes 6 to 12 across the state from the academic year 2022-23 A few days later Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said a decision on introducing the Bhagavad Gita in school curriculum would be taken after discussions as he maintained that the scripture imparts moral values Asked about the Gujarat governments move and other states talking about introducing the Bhagavad Gita in school curriculum Shahezadi said in her personal opinion it is not a religious book it is a philosophy book It can be looked at from the point of view of philosophy Studies are also being done on it abroad she said at a press conference at the NCM headquarters here Asked why the Quran or other religious texts were not being proposed to be introduced in school curriculum the officiating chief of the NCM said We do not stop anyone We want that respect for each others religion should increase We want books made available from all religions We have made many recommendations to the Education Ministry In my personal opinion we did not tell anyone to read Bhagavad Gita or dont read Quran it depends on the individual We can look at it from the point of philosophy also something that is related to the country and its identity Shahezadi said Asked about the Hijab issue she said The country does not run on yours and my sentiments it runs on the Constitution The court has given an order and we have to follow it There is a court judgement and it has to be accepted she added Her remarks come a day after the Supreme Court refused to accord urgent hearing on the pleas challenging the Karnataka High Court verdict which dismissed the petitions seeking permission to wear hijab inside the classroom and stated that the headscarf is not a part of the essential religious practice in Islam PTI ASK SMN

New Delhi [India], March 18 (ANI): As Gujarat announced to introduce Bhagavad Gita in the syllabus for class 6 to class 12 students from the academic year 2022-23, Delhi Deputy chief minister and education minister Manish Sisodia on Friday welcomed the move and said that "their deeds are like Raavan and they talk about Gita".

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], March 8 (ANI): Telangana Finance Minister T Harish Rao on Monday introduced the Telangana Budget for 2022-23.

Chennai Feb 19 PTI Calling for a course correction in lifestyle and also ensuring a work-life balance for peoples wellbeing Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday said spirituality is important in maintaining mental health Religious leaders should take the message of spirituality to the youth and the masses and help them overcome their problems in these stressful times he said He suggested people take up meditation exercise and yoga to deal with stress and said I firmly believe that spirituality is essential to discover ones inner strength and mental peace In this regard I urge religious leaders to take the message of spirituality to the youth and the masses Inaugurating the fifth global convention on Bhagavad Gita organised by the Centre for Inner Resources Development CIRD on Mental Harmony virtually from here the Vice-President stressed the need to translate the universal message of the Gita into as many languages as possible for the benefit of the entire humanity The distilled wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita is for the benefit of entire humanity and efforts should be made to translate the message into as many languages as possible so as to enhance the reach of this work he said Even though the message of the Gita is thousands of years old it can never lose its importance Today more than ever in a complex and interconnected world the timeless message of the Gita remains relevant as people face numerous challenges and obstacles in their lives he said Stating that mental stress is becoming an all-pervading phenomenon in modern times he called for greater awareness and attention on the critical health issue and said top priority should be accorded to address issues relating to mental health in a holistic manner He regretted that awareness on mental health remained low in India and said there was stigma associated with it The pandemic added to the woes of the people We must be willing to have public conversations about the importance of mental health and eradicate the stigma associated with it Naidu said and called upon popular personalities from diverse fields to create awareness among people on the public health issue Expressing concern over instances of students ending their lives unable to cope with the stress caused by the pressures of studies the Vice-President said parents and teachers could play an important role in counselling students motivating them to face adversity fearlessly and to do their duty diligently without worrying about the result This is the essence of the teaching of Lord Krishna to Arjuna in the Gita he said Educational institutions could opt for in-house counsellors to help students overcome stressful situations and the governments could ensure compliance he suggested while appreciating the Centres announcement on launching a national tele-mental health programme to provide 24x7 free counselling to people This is an important step towards ensuring the mental well-being of people especially those living in remote areas while ensuring their anonymity he said Swami Bhoomananda Thirthaji founder of Narayanashrama Tapovanam and visionary behind global Bhagavad Gita conventions Swami Nirviseshananda Tirthaji of Narayanashrama Tapovanam Justice Indira Banerjee of the Supreme Court Swamini Ma Gurupriya of Narayanashrama Tapovanam Pankaj Bhatia president CIRD-NA and Dr Ravi Jandhyala vice-president of CIRD-NA were among those who attended the event PTI JSP NVG NVG