Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami formally inaugurated the Fifth State Olympic Games on Saturday, to be held till September 27 at Manoj Sarkar Sports Stadium, Rudrapur.
When the Chief Minister reached the stadium after a road show from the helipad, the players welcomed the CM by showering flowers. Dhami hoisted the national and Olympic flag and took the salute of the march past of the sports teams from various districts and formally inaugurated the games by unveiling the mascot and medal.
Congratulating the players, district administration, and State Olympic Association, the Chief Minister said that this sports event will not only give the players of Uttarakhand a chance to showcase their talent but will also inspire them to establish their identity at the national and international level. He said that the objective of this event is to organise various sports competitions and to provide a level platform to all the hard-working and dedicated players, including the remote areas of Uttarakhand. Through which they can give a new direction to their sports.
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The Chief Minister said that the state government is continuously working towards establishing Uttarakhand as a leading state in the field of sports under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. With the aim of encouraging sports and players in every way in the state, a “New Sports Policy” has been implemented.
Under this policy, the practice of giving “out of turn” government jobs to players who win medals at national and international level has been started. This year, 31 players of the state who won medals have been given appointment in government departments and the cash prize money previously given through the Chief Minister’s Sports Development Fund has been increased by almost 100 percent.
The Chief Minister said that free training, education, accommodation, food and kits etc. are being provided to the players of residential sports colleges of the state. Scholarships are being given to the emerging players of the state through “Mukhyamantri Udyaman Khiladi Unnayan Yojana” and “Mukhyamantri Khiladi Protsahan Yojana.”.
He said that an amount of Rs 10 thousand per year is being provided to the players to buy sports equipment and the amount of sports kit given to the players participating in national level sports competitions has also been increased from Rs 3000 to Rs 5000.
Similarly, the amount given to the trainers has also been increased. In the same sequence, facilities are also being provided to Divyang players and trainers.
The Chief Minister said that the government has also made arrangements to provide the “Himalaya Khel Ratna Award” along with the
“Uttarakhand Khel Ratna and Dronacharya Awards”, 4 percent sports quota has been re-implemented in government jobs in the state. Along with encouraging the players of the state, sports infrastructure is also being strengthened in the state. The work of construction of new sports grounds and developing existing sports grounds as national level grounds is also going on. So that sports infrastructure can be developed in our state.
Dhami said that a women’s sports college will soon be established in Champawat at a cost of Rs 264 crore. Along with this, we will also soon have a “Khel University” in the state, so that our players can get world class training, facilities and more opportunities.
The Chief Minister said that the state has the opportunity to host the upcoming “National Games”. Keeping this event in mind, infrastructure facilities are being developed in the state and training camps are also being organised for the training of players.
Dhami said that players performing well in state games will definitely get an opportunity to participate in national games as well. He expected all the players to work hard and win medals in state games as well as bring laurels to the state by winning maximum number of medals in the upcoming national games. He expressed confidence that this event of state games will become a medium to give new direction and momentum to your sports career. The Chief Minister also directed the District Magistrate to identify land for the office of Olympic Association in Rudrapur.
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(With inputs from ANI)
