War against drugs enters phase-2: work on to develop 3,083 modern playgrounds
'A total of 4,000 grounds will be developed in the first phase of which work on 3,083 is going to start soon,' Mann said. There are nearly 13,000 villages in Punjab, and modern grounds will be built in every village, he added. He said athletes who have represented India in international competitions will be appointed as coaches to train budding sportspersons at these grounds so that a sporting culture is built among the youth.
Addressing media at his official residence, the Chief Minister said the government keeps receiving hundreds of proposals from Panchayats for building sports stadiums in villages, Mann said, adding that there is no dearth of land availability for developing grounds in villages. 'Even NRIs are willing to donate land. If the need be, the government will also buy land to build playgrounds,' he said adding that it is the next step in the ongoing 'Yudh Nashyean Virudh' (war against drugs) campaign.
Taking a swipe at previous governments, he alleged they the successive Congress and Akali-BJP regimes paid no attention to the development of sports infrastructure or youth employment.
'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, adding 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, Harbhajan Singh and Arshdeep Singh emerged from Punjab, he said, adding that many players in the national hockey team also come from the state.
Shubman is the Indian Cricket Team's Test captain while Harmanpreet Singh is national hockey team's captain, Mann said. We have abundant talent, he said.
Punjab's youth can excel in hockey, cricket, kabaddi, athletics — what they need is the right atmosphere and support, the chief minister said.
Astroturf, synthetic tracks will be laid, he said, adding that there is no dearth for money. Sports nurseries will be set up for a cluster of villages.
Mann said Punjab is the first state in the country to offer financial assistance to athletes for their preparation ahead of international competitions — a step that has already shown promising results. 'Punjab government is taking sports as priority,' he said, adding different areas in state are known for dominance in a particular sport and accordingly such sport will be promoted in that area.
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