Yoga sessions at labour accommodations

Dubai - The awareness camps are held by the Indian Workers' Resource Centre (IWRC) under the mission.

Indian workers in the UAE are being taught yoga to remain healthy and fight lifestyle diseases prevalent among expat workers, a senior official has said.
"We recently introduced yoga as part of the health awareness camps that we conduct in labour accommodations," Dinesh Kumar, First Secretary (Community Affairs) at the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi told Khaleej Times.
"In a few camps we took a yoga expert with us and he gave some basic classes to them. It is meant to help them stay fit and reduce the risk of lifestyle disorders."

Yoga expert Vishwas Chhabra has been voluntarily offering the classes for the Indian workers.
The awareness camps are held by the Indian Workers' Resource Centre (IWRC) under the mission. Till last year, the IWRC conducted over 200 awareness camps in labour accommodations since its inception in 2010.
"We conducted around 50 awareness camps in 2015, mostly four every month," said Kumar.
Awareness sessions are held on general financial prudence, schemes for workers and against suicides among workers. The medical camps tackle common chronic diseases and summer health of workers. This is in addition to the Swatantara campaign that educates workers against smoking, alcohol and drugs. For health awareness camps, IWRC and consular officials are accompanied by doctors, nurses and medical staff.
"Now we are making it a regular phenomenon. We are going to tie up with hospitals here and make sure that in every awareness camp, there will be a health session. We are in discussion with some Indian healthcare groups for this," said Kumar.
sajila@khaleejtimes.com