Govt to open 68 Eklavya schools, give scholarships to budding athletes: Minister

Patna: Bihar sports minister Shreyasi Singh on Saturday said the govt will open 68 Eklavya schools to train talented young sportspersons in the state. She also said 72 talented sportspersons in the 10-16 age group from each district will get an opportunity to showcase their skills in Patna soon. The selected players will be provided with scholarships and sponsorships so that they can bring glory to Bihar and the country.Shreyasi was addressing the principals of several schools at a programme organised in Patna under the Bihar Sports Mahasangram initiative with the aim of nurturing sporting talent among schoolchildren and helping them reach national and international levels.“The govt and society must work together to promote sports. The Bihar govt is providing all possible support to athletes through infrastructure, policies, and schemes,” she said.The minister said the state govt is developing centres of excellence in every district. “Separate policies are being formulated for various sports and 68 Eklavya schools will be opened in the state by the end of the year to enable children from rural and underprivileged areas to receive quality sports training,” she said.Principals from govt and private schools across various districts of Bihar participated in the programme. The objective of the programme was to connect schools with the vision, action plan, and structure of the Bihar Sports Mahasangram, thereby institutionalising sports at the school level and enabling the early identification of talented athletes.