The Andhra Pradesh government has refuted allegations that it splurged Rs 600 crore on conducting the Yogandhra-2026 event on Sunday as part of the International Yoga Day celebrations, merely for publicity.
For the last two days, reports have been circulating on social media platforms claiming that the Chandrababu Naidu government spent hundreds of crores of rupees on Yoga Day celebrations.
Responding to the allegations, the Fact Check Team of the state government dismissed reports that Rs 600 crore had been spent on the programme.
It clarified that Government Order Rt No. 562, issued on June 5, 2026, allocated only Rs 25 lakh per district for organising the yoga events.
It further stated that the main state-level programme received an allocation of only Rs 3 crore.
“So, the entire expenditure comes to less than Rs 10 crore across the state,” the team said.
Officials said the programme was aimed at promoting public health awareness and encouraging large-scale participation in yoga.
The government also reiterated its goal of training 10 lakh yoga instructors across the state to strengthen health and wellness initiatives.
The Fact Check Team warned that legal action would be taken against individuals spreading false information on social media regarding government expenditure on the event.
The Yogandhra-2026 celebrations earned recognition from the London-based World Book of Records after drawing participation from an estimated 10.5 million people across the state.
According to official figures, yoga sessions were conducted at 1.32 lakh venues on Sunday, with the participation of 551 yoga gurus and 7,754 master trainers.
The record certificate was presented to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu during the state-level Yogandhra programme held in Vijayawada by the South India Joint Secretary of the World Book of Records.
Prominent yoga guru Baba Ramdev and Patanjali co-founder Acharya Balkrishna participated in the celebrations.
Ministers, Members of Parliament, MLAs, district collectors and government officials also joined the programme under the guidance of yoga instructors.
