New Health Minister Harsh Vardhan Cycles to Work on First Day

New Delhi, June 3, 2019:

Dr Harsh Vardhan, who will head the Ministry for Health and Family Welfare, pedalled to work on a bicycle to take charge as minister at the Nirman Bhawan in Delhi on Monday.

Harsh Vardhan, who won the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha seat in Delhi, shared pictures on microblogging site Twitter along with the message: "#Cycling is a simple, affordable, reliable, clean & environmentally sustainable means of transport. #UNGA has declared June 3 as #WorldBicycleDay to underline the contribution of cycling to sustainable development goals. It’s my fav sport too 2 #BeatAirPollution."

Harsh Vardhan is inspired by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte (who is also a cycling enthusiast), and had earlier retweeted about the Dutch PM's habit of using a bicycle as a vehicle while roaming the streets, without any security detail.

Coincidentally, today is also the 'World Bicycle Day'. It was in April 2018 that the United Nations General Assembly declared this day as International World Bicycle Day. The resolution for World Bicycle Day recognizes “the uniqueness, longevity and versatility of the bicycle, which has been in use for two centuries, and that it is a simple, affordable, reliable, clean and environmentally fit sustainable means of transportation.”

The movement to have a day set aside to celebrate the glories of the bicycle gained momentum when United States Professor Leszek Sibilski from led a grassroots campaign with his Sociology class to promote a UN Resolution for World Bicycle Day, eventually gaining the support of Turkmenistan and 56 other countries.

The bicycle has received much praise for finding use as an environment friendly mode of transportation when fuel-guzzling motor engines are creating traffic on the streets and holes in the Ozone layer. The ‘World Bicycle Day’ is also a day to discuss the health benefits of the two-wheeler, especially among those afflicted by Type-1 and Type-2 Diabetes.

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