All About the Fit India Movement

What is the Fit India Movement?

The Fit India Movement was launched on August 29, 2019, by PM Narendra Modi as a government fitness initiative. The goal behind the initiative was to increase awareness about the importance of physical fitness among Indian citizens. Hence, the Fit India Movement encourages people to take on physical exercises in their day-to-day lives. Under this movement, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has launched the ‘Fit India School’ program as well as various events like Fit India Quiz, Fit India Youth Club, etc. In this article, we’ll know more about the Fit India Movement and all the associated programs.

Importance of Fit India Movement

Fitness is one of the most important parameters through which a person’s health can be measured. Someone who does little to no exercise can be vulnerable to health problems like heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. As the Movement aims to make people healthier through exercise, here are the main benefits of Fit India Movement:

• Regular exercise can help you lose any extra weight and get fitter. As exercising burns calories, it uses up the stored fat in your body in the form of energy.

• Exercising keeps you protected against a wide variety of diseases. As per a medical study, regular exercise helped individuals stay protected against diseases like stroke, diabetes, depression, arthritis, etc.

• Regular exercising can help increase your overall stamina so that you feel energetic throughout the day and don’t get easily tired due to any physical work.

• Exercising regularly also promotes better and sound sleep. A better sleep routine helps your body recover and repair itself more effectively.

• It helps improve your mental health. Many studies have found that people who exercise regularly are less susceptible to mental issues like anxiety and depression.

• As per a medical website, regular exercise has been found to be helpful in improving brain function.

About Fit India Certification

Fit India Certification is a special title given to certain schools that actively participate in the Fit India Movement. The certification signifies that the school is putting in considerable efforts to improve its students’ health and fitness through exercise. There are three levels of Fit India Certification; Basic, Three-Star, and Five-Star level.

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Parameters Set for Fit India Certification Levels

Each school would need to fulfil certain requirements in order to be issued a Fit India Certification. The criteria for each level is given below:

For Basic Certification

• Schools must have a teacher with PE training.

• Schools must have a playground with facilities for at least 2 outdoor games to be played.

• One PE period every day for various physical activities.

• All students in the school must spend 60 minutes doing physical activities.

For Three-Star Certification

• All the above parameters are applicable.

• Two PE teachers with PE training and in-depth knowledge of at least two sports.

• All teachers in the school must spend 60 minutes doing physical exercise.

• The school must have facilities for 4 types of sports, 2 of which must be outdoor sports.

• Every student must be involved in learning at least 2 different types of sports.

• The school must celebrate Fit India Week.

For Five-Star Certification

• All the above parameters are applicable.

• The school must conduct quarterly intra-school competitions and participate in competitions held by other schools.

• All teachers must have basic PE training.

• The school must have 2 more sports coaches and must conduct an annual sports day.

• The school must follow the PE curriculum as recommended by NCERT/CBSE/SCERT.

• The school must do an annual fitness test for all the students.

• The school must allow its playgrounds to be used by the local community after school hours.

Procedure for Schools to Get Fit India Certifications

Fortunately, the process for schools to get a Fit India Movement Certificate is quite easy. For the Basic level of Fit India Movement Certificate, the schools need to register themselves on the www.fitindia.gov.in website. Once they are registered, the certification would automatically be provided to them and they can use the Fit India Movement Logo. Similarly, for three and five-star level certifications, the schools must visit the Fit India website and register themselves, then make a claim for three/five-star certification. The authorities from the Fit India Movement would then reach out to the schools to verify if they are following all the necessary parameters for certifications. Upon verification, the schools would receive their three or five-star certifications and they can also use the Fit India Movement Logo.

What is Fit India Quiz?

The Fit India Quiz is another event held by the Fit India Movement across schools in the country to create awareness about the importance of fitness and encourage active participation from students in the fitness movement. The Fit India Quiz also serves as a platform for students to showcase their talent and knowledge about fitness, sports, exercise as well as India’s rich sporting history. These Fit India Quizzes were organised by the National Testing Agency under the authority of the Fit India Movement.

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Fit India Movement App

The Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports has launched the Fit India mobile app on the second anniversary of the Fit India Movement. The Fit India mobile app is a fitness dedicated app that serves as a digital trainer/fitness guide for individuals to improve their health through physical exercise. The app also has various fitness trackers to help you track your daily progress and get access to various workout routines.

Conclusion

The aim of the Fit India Movement is to improve the overall fitness levels of Indian citizens by encouraging them to exercise regularly. While exercising is tremendously beneficial for health and can keep you protected against many diseases, there are many other types of medical conditions such as contagious infections, cancer, etc. that cannot be predicted and prove fatal. In case you or any of your family members develop medical conditions, it is vital to have access to good healthcare. In situations like these, a health insurance plan can help keep you financially covered against the hospital expenses incurred due to medical emergencies. If you have not yet bought health insurance, you should check out the health policies available at Bajaj MARKETS. 

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