CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday announced that modern sports grounds will be developed in villages across the state to wean youth away from drugs and channelise their energy in a positive direction.
"We have decided to develop these grounds. The work on 3,083 grounds is going to start and a total of 4,000 grounds will be developed in the first phase," he said during a press conference here.
He said athletes who won medals in international competitions will also be involved in coaching to promote a sporting culture among the youth.
There are nearly 13,000 villages in Punjab, and quality sports grounds will be built in every village, he added.
Mann said when children take part in sports, they stay away from bad habits and their energy is channelised positively.
Taking a swipe at previous governments, he alleged they pushed youth towards drugs.
"Youth were inclined towards sports and education. But during the previous governments' time, they were neither given grounds nor books. As they say, an idle mind is a devil's workshop, many youth fell into bad habits. Gradually, Punjab slipped into the quagmire of drugs and youngsters did not get the atmosphere they deserved," he said.
"Being a Punjabi and a sports lover, our aim is to pull the state's youth out of the drug menace. For that, we need to give them alternatives so they do not slip back into the habit," Mann said.
He stressed that the best alternative is sports and added that with proper support and opportunities, Punjab's youth can excel in several sports.
Despite lack of facilities in the past, players like Shubman Gill and Harbhajan Singh emerged from Punjab, he said, adding that many players in the national hockey team also come from the state.
Punjab's youth can excel in hockey, cricket, kabaddi, athletics -- what they need is the right atmosphere and support, the chief minister said.