Suchetgarh (J-K) | Border Security Force personnel are fully geared up to ensure smooth conduct of the Amarnath Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir which is scheduled to start on July 1, a senior officer said here on Wednesday.

Hundreds of BSF personnel participated in a yoga session held at the Octerio Border Outpost here on the occasion of the International Day of Yoga.

"We want our soldiers to stay healthy and fulfil their duties efficiently. We have included yoga in our daily routine and it helps our soldiers stay stress-free," said BSF Deputy Inspector General Chiter Pal on the sidelines of the event here.

About the upcoming Amarnath pilgrimage, the DIG said, "Our biggest challenge is Amarnath Yatra which is starting from July 1. We have made full preparations for that. Our jawans are fully geared up and alert." The annual pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir will continue till August 31. The journey can be undertaken through two routes — the traditional 48-km route through Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag and the 14-km shorter but steep Baltal route in the Ganderbal district of central Kashmir