Ranchi, June 18 (IANS) Preparations are in full swing for International Yoga Day as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be joining the programme to be held here in Jharkhand on Friday.

The program will be organised at Prabhat Tara ground. Modi will join the yoga session along with 18,000 people, including Chief Minister Raghubar Das, Ministers and senior officials of the state.

Modi is expected to arrive in Ranchi on Thursday night and will stay at the Raj Bhawan.

Jharkhand Chief Secretary D.K. Tiwari has directed to make preparations keeping in view the monsoon which is expected to hit the state on June 20.

There will be 40 sectors for yoga performers and each will accommodate 400 to 800 people. Eight medical huts will also be constructed.

A Special Protection Group (SPG) team has reached here to look into the security issues. According to sources in the government, around 4,000 security personnel of the state and para military forces will be deployed at Prabhat tara ground.

Locals are excited to see Modi do yoga sitting among them.

"It's a pride to do yoga with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We are anxiously waiting for it and are hopeful to get a selfie clicked with Modiji," said Sunita Yadav, a resident of Ranchi.

--IANS ns/pg