Jammu, January 12: In an effort to make health and environment a priority for all employees and officers, EPFO Jammu on Thursday presented bicycles and yoga mats to all employees and officers of the office. Bicycles and yoga mats were handed over by Provident Fund Regional Commissioner – I, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, Rizwan Uddin.
Speaking on the occasion, Rizwan Uddin said, “These bikes can be used by employees and officers for daily commuting, which will not only help in achieving better health and fitness, but will also contribute positively to making the city clean and green, apart from avoiding and minimizing traffic congestion, especially at a time of increasing sedentary lifestyles, when lifestyle disorders such as obesity, hypertension, high blood pressure and diabetes are on the rise.
Giving more details, he said that the entire EPFO team will ride the bikes together as the 30 bikes were procured from the money received by the office after it was declared the “best performing remote office”.
“The committee was constituted to utilize the gratuity for the welfare of the employees and the EPFO Employee Welfare Committee, Jammu took a unanimous decision to procure thirty bicycles for the officers and employees,” said the regional commissioner, adding that the decision was taken keeping in mind various factors , including overall employee welfare, long traffic jams in Jammu, health and environmental causes.
An avid cyclist himself, Rizwan Uddin shared his own experiences with cycling and said that he started cycling as a hobby and has reason to believe that cycling contributes to a positive lifestyle. The office is about 8 kilometers from his home and he has a habit of using a bicycle as a mode of transportation and rides his bicycle to the office and back home daily.
“Cycling not only promotes good employee health, but also plays a significant role in reducing our carbon footprint, which ultimately helps our environment and saves money,” he said. When you travel by car and motorbike, it uses fuel and causes higher costs. Cycling is economical in many ways – it saves time, time at the gym, gas and space on the road. Plus, it’s an option that’s good for your health, in addition to increasing your savings.”
He went on to say: “If 20 percent of people start cycling, it will reduce pollution and make the city the smartest. It has become an important part of urban planning in many countries.”
Yoga mats have been distributed to all employees and officers of EPFO RO Jammu, which will also help to improve the health and fitness of all employees. Presenting the yoga mats, Rizwan Uddin said, “Yoga is a great way to promote preventive healthcare that holistically supports the health of practitioners in terms of physical, mental and emotional well-being.