Chandigarh Jan 22 : Haryana Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Friday said that the state government has identified 100 villages in the state for providing better sports facilities of the popular games and Rs 20 crore have been spent for upgrading playgrounds in about 2000 schools. He also assured all help of the State Government to set up a hockey academy at Rai.
Mr Hooda was addressing the inaugural function of the First Hockey India National Senior Women’s National Championship-2011 at Motilal Nehru School of Sports, Rai, near Sonepat.
He said that in order to manage these playgrounds, about 175 ground managers and an equal number of groundmen were being enrolled by the government. He said that thousands of “ Krida-Sri” had been engaged who had been managing the sports activities in the villages.
Claiming that state government’s “Play for India” scheme had been very successful, Mr Hooda said that around 80,000 youths from all over the state participated in Sports Physical Aptitude Test ( SPAT) during 2010 and it was expected that this year’s participation was likely to go up to 20 lakh. Those 5000 youths obtaining more than 75 per cent marks in SPAT would be given scholarships and amount of Rs 10 crore had been earmarked for this purpose, he added.
Mr Hooda said that every efforts was being made to develop Haryana as Sports Hub and as many as four Multi Sports Talent Development Centers were being set up at divisional level where the sports persons could improve their standard of the game.
Lauding the performance of the sports persons from Haryana in Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, he said that as many as 11 sports academies were being set up in different districts of the state. “It is very satisfying that three boys and seven girls from Haryana are the members of the men and women hockey teams of India,” he said.
While referring to the demand for opening a hockey academy at Rai, he said that with the help of the Hockey India, Hockey Haryana will set
up this academy and the state government would extend every possible
assistance to Hockey Haryana for this project.
The President of Haryana Hockey, Mr M.L.Tayal said that Haryana had
emerged as a force to reckon in sports in the recently concluded CWG
and Asian games and this performance was because of the progressive
policies of the state government and hard work by the sports persons.
The CPS Jaiveer Balmiki, MLAs Jai Tirth, Jagbir Malik and Sri Krishan Hooda. Prof Virender, Political Advisor to Chief Minister,
Commissioner Rohtak Division Rajiv Sharma, Director Sports O.P.Singh
and senior officers of district administration were also present on the occasion.