8k panchayats to get sports clubs: Samrat

Patna: Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary on Thursday announced that sports clubs would be established in more than 8,000 panchayats across Bihar with the aim of identifying and nurturing talent from rural areas. He said sports materials and equipment for all kinds of games would be made available at these clubs so that talents like Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar could emerge from the panchayat level.Addressing the ‘Sansad Khel Mahotsav-2025’ organised at the Patliputra Sports Complex, Choudhary said the Bihar govt has framed a policy under which players competing at national and international levels would be given govt jobs on the basis of their performance.He said the state govt is currently building 13 sports complexes to strengthen infrastructure. Referring to the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium, which hosted the last World Cup cricket match in 1996, he said construction work to develop it into an international-level ground would begin soon. “The Patliputra Sports Complex will be renovated and preparations are underway to make it more grand. Apart from this, there is a demand for building a swimming pool here, which will be fulfilled after discussions with the chief minister,” he said.The deputy CM said more youths are now building careers in sports and initiatives such as ‘Khelo India’ are being actively promoted. He added that the Bihar govt remains committed to supporting sportspersons at every level.Choudhary also appealed to the former Union minister and Patna Sahib MP, the organiser of the ‘Sansad Khel Mahotsav-2025’, to organise the event on a larger scale in future, assuring full support from the state govt.