Inaugurating these games through video conference, he said, the scam during the Commonwealth Games was a living proof of the attitude of the previous governments towards sports. A scam was done in the sports competition which could have been useful for establishing India’s prestige in the world.
Inaugurating the Khelo India University Games, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that Uttar Pradesh has become a confluence of players from across the country. Inaugurating these games through video conference, he said, the scam during the Commonwealth Games was a living proof of the attitude of the previous governments towards sports. A scam was done in the sports competition which could have been useful for establishing India’s prestige in the world. The scam came to light in 2010 during the tenure of the Congress-led UPA II government.
Modi said, earlier the Panchayat Yuva Krida Khel Abhiyan used to run a scheme for the children of our villages and countryside to get a chance to play, but later its name was changed to Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan. In this campaign also the focus was only on changing the name, it was not shown to change the infrastructure of the country’s sports. In his address, Prime Minister Modi extended best wishes to the players participating in the Khelo India University Games. He said that being the MP of UP, I welcome all the players coming to UP.
He said, “The organization of these games will change the sports environment in the university and this sports festival will take the country to new heights. Today, a confluence of sports talents of the country has been made in UP. First we started the Khelo India game. Now the Khelo India winter games have also started.” Praising the state government, Modi said, “Excellent work is being done for the development of sports in UP. The Games will culminate in my constituency Varanasi and I am looking forward to that. Such events help in developing team spirit and will be helpful in cultural exchange between players from different states.
This year Khelo India University Games are being held in Uttar Pradesh from May 25 to June 3. More than 4750 athletes are representing more than 200 universities in 21 sports. The games are being organized in Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Lucknow and Gautam Buddha Nagar. The mascot of the Games is Jeetu the reindeer which is the state animal of Uttar Pradesh. The Games will conclude on June 3 at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi. Modi said that a new era of sports has started in India in the last nine years. This new era is not only about making India a sports power in the world, it is also a new era of empowerment of the society through sports.
He said that it is proposed to teach sports as a subject in our National Education Policy. He further said that earlier governments had spent only Rs 300 crore on sports infrastructure in 6 years, whereas under Khelo India now Rs 3000 crore has been spent on sports infrastructure. In the Khelo India University Games, Lucknow will host 12 sports (Archery, Judo, Mallakhamb, Volleyball, Fencing, Badminton, Table Tennis, Rugby, Athletics, Hockey, Football) at 8 venues.
Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida) will host five sports (Basketball, Kabaddi, Boxing, Swimming and Weightlifting) in three venues. IIT-BHU, Varanasi will host two sports (wrestling and yoga), while, Gorakhpur and Delhi will host rowing and shooting respectively. Sailing has been included in these Games for the first time. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, Union Minister of State for Sports Nisith Pramanik and all ministers and officials of the state were present on the occasion of the inauguration.
Disclaimer:Prabhasakshi has not edited this news. This news has been published from PTI-language feed.
