PNS | DEHRADUN
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and sports minister Rekha Arya flagged off the torch march of the 38th National Games in Haldwani on Thursday.
Speaking on the occasion, the CM said that the torch march will not only help in encouraging sports culture in the State but will prompt the sportspersons for better performance. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi the State government is trying to establish Devbhoomi Uttarakhand as a Khel (sports) Bhoomi. The CM said that the hosting of the 38th NG is a big opportunity for the State to give a positive message to the entire world. He averred that the State government is committed to develop a sports culture in Uttarakhand.
The CM said that under the Mukyamantri Udaiman Khiladi Yojana, the State government is providing a scholarship of Rs 1,500 per month to the youngsters between eight to 14 years of age. Similarly the sportspersons between 14 to 23 years of age are being provided a scholarship of Rs 2,000 per month and they are also given a sum of Rs 10,000 for purchase of sports kits and equipment. Dhami said that the State government has given a sum of Rs 33 crore to 17,000 sportspersons in the State as scholarships. He said that the State government has implemented a new sports policy under which there is a provision for government jobs for the medal winners of the international and national events. The government has also restored a four per cent quota in the jobs to the sportspersons, he added.
The CM exhorted the sportspersons to give their best performance in the National Games. In her address, Arya said that the State government has opened the floodgates for the children to take sports as a career. She said that the different schemes of the government are not only helping in preparing sportspersons but also helping them from their childhood. Arya appealed to the sportspersons of the State to come in the top five in the medal tally in the upcoming National Games. It will usher in helping a sports culture in the State and will make the medal winners as a role model of the youth in the State, she said.
