Chandigarh, September 24 - Haryana Chief Minister Shri Naib Singh Saini said that the state government aims to make Haryana not only the sports capital of India but also of the world. He said that 10 years ago, a vision was developed for sports in Haryana, the aim of which is to connect every child with sports, build a playground in every village and give an opportunity to every youth who has a passion for sports.
The Chief Minister was addressing the program organized as the chief guest on the occasion of the inauguration of the second phase of the state-level Khel Mahakumbh at Tau Devi Lal Sports Stadium, Panchkula today. On this occasion, Shri Naib Singh Saini announced the inauguration of the second phase of the state-level Khel Mahakumbh and appealed to the players to give their best performance while playing with the spirit of sportsmanship. Sports Minister Shri Gaurav Gautam was also present on this occasion.
The Chief Minister said that the Khel Mahakumbh is not just an event of a game but a platform to give life to the dreams of the youth of Haryana. It is a symbol of the spirit that makes Haryana number one in sports.
He said that the Khel Mahakumbh was started in the Golden Jubilee year of Haryana in 2017. Since then, five Khel Mahakumbhs have been successfully organized. In the first phase of the Khel Mahakumbh, which lasted from August 2 to August 4, a total of 15 thousand 410 players from the state participated in 26 games. Today, 9 thousand 959 players are participating in its second phase.
The Chief Minister said that every player dreams of playing for the country, but to make that dream come true, continuous practice, discipline and self-confidence are required. The government is continuously organizing sports competitions to improve these qualities in the players. In these, the players get an opportunity to further enhance their skills and capabilities.
The Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has set a goal to establish India as a sports superpower in the 2036 Olympic Games. He has also expressed his desire to hold those games in India. I am confident that at that time, Haryana players will bring glory to the country by winning the maximum number of medals.
For this, we have already started preparations. Our dream is that every village of Haryana should produce a player who can hoist the flag of India on the world stage. I am proud that we have continuously worked towards realizing this dream and today is a golden chapter in a series like Khel Mahakumbh.
Shri Naib Singh Saini said that the government has taken many steps to bring forward sports competitions. Sports nurseries have been opened in the state to nurture the players from childhood. In these, they are provided financial assistance and training. At present, 1,489 sports nurseries are functioning in the state. 37,225 players are undergoing training in them.
He said that players between the ages of 8 to 14 and 15 to 19 are given Rs 1,500 per month and Rs 2,000 per month respectively. Not only this, sports nursery coaches are also being given an honorarium of Rs 25,000. Apart from this, Haryana Good Player Seva Nisam 2021 has been formed to ensure secure employment for the best players. Under this, 550 new posts have been created in the Sports Department.
On this occasion, the Chief Minister honored 8 players from Haryana who won medals in the Paralympics held in Paris last year with an incentive amount of Rs 42 crore. In this competition, Haryana players performed brilliantly and won 5 gold medals and 3 silver medals.
Apart from this, the Chief Minister honored 31 coaches who performed well with a sum of Rs. 3 crore 56 lakh. In the program, he also honored the best players of Haryana, gold medal winners of National Games-2025, in-charges of 75 best sports nurseries and 75 best coaches of the Sports Department with appreciation letters.
Earlier, addressing the program, Sports Minister Mr. Gaurav Gautam said that in the second phase of Khel Mahakumbh 2025, 9959 players will show their strength in 17 different sports competitions for three days. He said that these competitions will be organized in different districts of the state. He said that Haryana's sports policy is the best in the country.
It is the result of the hard work of the players and the sports policy of Haryana that today the players of Haryana are bringing glory to the country and the state in national and international competitions. He said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Naib Singh Saini, Haryana Olympic Games are going to be organized in November after 15 years.
On this occasion, MLAs Jagmohan Anand and Randhir Panihar, former Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha Gianchand Gupta, Principal Secretary of the Sports Department Navdeep Singh Virk, Director General Sanjeev Verma, Deputy Commissioner Satpal Sharma, Chief Minister's Media Secretary Praveen Atre, Media Coordinator Ashog Chhabra and other respected persons and players were present.