Yogi lays foundation for cricket stadium in Gorakhpur, credits PM Modi for ‘flourishing’ sports culture

Gorakhpur (UP): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the “flourishing” sports culture across the nation, saying that Ahmedabad hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games, and India bidding for the 2036 Olympics, can work wonders to boost the morale of homegrown talent.

The chief minister was speaking after laying the foundation for the first phase of an international cricket stadium in Gorakhpur’s Tal Nador area, to be built on 46 acres of land for Rs 393 crore.

“The stadium with a seating capacity of 30,000 is being built with the help of the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. It will have all the required facilities of international standard.

“We have also reserved an additional 60 acres of land next to it, where a sports complex will be constructed. Along with the cricket stadium, hotels, restaurants and a market will also come up here,” Adityanath said.

Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, was also present at the event and performed ‘Bhumi Pujan’ along with the chief minister.

“Ahmedabad is scheduled to host the Commonwealth Games in 2030. India has also made a bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games. Such efforts show how Prime Minister Modi is enhancing India's participation in international events and providing homegrown athletes with an opportunity to showcase their potential on home soil.

“I express my heartfelt gratitude to the prime minister for encouraging the nation's young talent,” Adityanath said.

The chief minister said that in 2014, Prime Minister Modi coined the slogan “Khelo India”, and later, he gave a call for a “Fit India” movement.

“Modi ji also advocated for promoting the ‘Sansad Khelkood Pratiyogita’, a grassroots rural sports initiative aimed at promoting fitness and local talent. Through these initiatives, a new sporting culture is flourishing across the nation, leading to greater participation in global events such as the Olympics, Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games,” Adityanath said Noting that it is the responsibility of the government to provide the requisite infrastructure, Adityanath said that under the guidance of Prime Minister Modi, the Uttar Pradesh government is providing such infrastructure throughout the state.

“A playground is being established in every village, while work has already commenced to construct a mini stadium at every block and a full-fledged stadium in every district. Uttar Pradesh has 18 administrative divisions, and we aim to establish a sports college in each of them,” Adityanath said.

“We are also constructing the Major Dhyan Chand Sports University in Meerut, which will be inaugurated during the current academic session. We already launched the academic programme for it last year,” he added.

Adityanath also said that an international cricket stadium is coming up in Varanasi with support from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Underlining the government’s commitment towards encouraging players, Adityanath said, “Till now, around 550 medal-winning athletes in the state have been given government jobs. Appointment letters will soon be handed over to 500 more sportspersons.

Those who have secured government jobs include cricketers Rinku Singh, Deepti Sharma and Praveen Kumar, hockey players Lalit Upadhyay and Rajkumar Pal, athlete Parul Chaudhary, kabaddi player Arjun Deshwal, judoka Vijay Kumar Yadav and wrestler Divya Kakran, among others, he said.