The Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that cycling is the best and cheapest form of exercise to keep our-self healthy and people must be encouraged to adopt such environment friendly mode of transport.Addressing the gathering of cyclists and environmentalists after inaugurating the Bicycle Rally and inaugurating Smart Cycle Station for Public Bike Sharing in NDMC on the occasion of the first World Bicycle Day, here today, the Vice President said that the campaign to promote the use of bicycle must be taken up on a sustained basis and it should not be confined to a ritualistic exercise on World Bicycling Day. The Union Minister for Science & Technology; Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Dr. Harsh Vardhan and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
Talking about the rising pollution levels, the Vice President said that many cities the world over have virtually turned into chimneys due to pollution and the gases emitted from vehicles. He said that the time has come for cities and other urban places to promote bicycling in a big way. Dedicated bicycling tracks to be created in our cities and people have to be encouraged to pedal their way to better health, he added.The Vice President said that one should not see World Bicycle Day as a mere symbolic exercise and said that it addresses two most pressing problems like growing environmental pollution and rising lifestyle diseases. Bicycling will greatly help in reducing adverse health outcomes. Apart from burning calories, strengthening muscles and promoting fitness, bicycling daily will reduce the risk for heart diseases and cancers, he added.The Vice President also complemented the authorities of NDMC for starting Smart Cycle Station for Public Bike Sharing in the National Capital and said that similar initiatives are needed elsewhere in the country and the youth in particular must take full advantage of such facilities.