State may insure 1.5 lakh govindas at Dahi Handi, double of previous year

MUMBAI: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday instructed the sports department of the state government to provide insurance cover to 1.5 lakh govindas participating in Dahi Handi this year. The Janmashtami festival falls on 16 August.For the past two years, the state government has been insuring 75,000 govindas annually. On Thursday, a delegation from the Dahi Handi Samanvay Samiti, accompanied by culture minister Ashish Shelar, met the Chief Minister and requested that the number be doubled to cover 1.5 lakh participants this year. Fadnavis directed the sports department to take appropriate action.Meanwhile, Dinesh Jadav, chief regional manager of Oriental Insurance, which has been entrusted with the task, said they had already insured over one lakh govindas from 1,200 mandals across Maharashtra in 2024.“A major contributor to this figure was the Maharashtra Rajya Dahi Handi Govinda Association through whom the state govt insured more than 75,000 govindas in Maharashtra,” he said.The state government has accorded Dahi Handi the status of an adventure sport, leading to a rise in participation. However, the Dahi Handi Samanvay Samiti claims that this has also increased the risk of injury to govindas.