Will help him breathe easy
Central paramilitary forces will soon be putting their personnel through the Art of Living programme in an effort to mitigate stress, which is being blamed for the growing incidence of suicide and fratricide.
The Union Home Ministry is learnt to have told the forces they can spend some Rs 50,000 on putting each company of troops through the course. The total expense is likely to be Rs 2.3 crore, and will be reimbursed by the ministry through welfare funds.
So the next few months will see as many as 475 companies from the Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Assam Rifles, and the Sashatra Seema Bal (SSB) enroll for the programme, which will be conducted by the Vyakti Vikas Kendra and monitored by the ministry.
The Kendra conducts Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living programme, a mix of yoga, meditation, and breathing techniques found effective in reducing stress.
Sources said instructions have been sent for ensuring maximum benefits for troops, especially those serving in Jammu & Kashmir and the north-east. Said an officer, “Area commanders have been told to make sure the stress management techniques are available for everyone.” The locations and dates for programmes are being worked out.
Last year, Art of Living workshops were tried out on a smaller scale for CRPF and BSF personnel posted in Jammu & Kashmir and the north-east. The BSF had also organised a programme conducted by Swami Ramdev, who offers his own version of yoga and breathing exercises.
... contd.
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