PM Modi lauds Assam’s ‘Khel Maharan’ initiative

New Delhi [India], November 4 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed happiness at Assam organising ‘Khel Maharan’ in the state and said that this initiative, led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, takes sports to the grassroots level.

The Assam government led by CM Himanta is all set to organise ‘Khel Maharan’ from November 1. It will be running till January 10 next year.

“I am really happy to learn that the Assam Government has organised `Khel Maharan’ across the state between November 2023 and January 2024. This initiative to take sports to the grassroots level is commendable,” said PM Modi in a statement.

PM Modi noted that sports and games have been woven into the fabric of India’s culture and ethos for centuries.

“An integral part of our lives today, sporting events have become important occasions to celebrate the spirit of a youthful and energetic India. Sports promote physical fitness, good health and well-being, significantly reducing the risk of lifestyle-related diseases. Even as a physical exercise, playing games helps instil qualities such as discipline, hard work, teamwork and sportsman spirit,” said PM Modi.

PM Modi said that at a competitive level, games help sportspersons showcase their talent and skills to a larger audience. He also said that the focus of ‘New India’ is to provide modern sports infrastructure and make sure that young talent is encouraged through the ‘Khelo India’ movement.

“Through untiring efforts to promote sports among the youth and build a vibrant sporting ecosystem, the focus of ‘New India’ has been on providing modern sports infrastructure and ensuring that young talent is encouraged through sporting initiatives at various levels through the Khelo India movement,” he said.

“Grassroots initiatives are a crucial part of this overarching vision of identifying and nurturing budding athletes. Assam has already been a sporting hub, giving many athletes who have made the nation proud at the global level. The organisation of ‘Khel Maharan’ will go a long way in further promoting and popularising competitive sports among youth across Assam. Holding competitive games at the levels of Panchayat, Assembly constituency, district and state levels will also help unearth new talent across diverse sporting disciplines,” said PM Modi.

“May ‘Khel Maharan’ enhance the vibrant sports culture of Assam and help nurture more sporting talent who bring glory to the nation. Best wishes for making ‘Khel Maharan’ a huge success,” concluded PM Modi.

The state government has taken the decision that Khel Maharan will be held to identify and nurture sports talents at the grassroots level.

According to the state government, more than 50 lakh sportspersons will participate and compete in five sporting disciplines – Athletics (100m, 200m, 400m & 800m), Football, Kabaddi, Volleyball and Kho-Kho.

The competition will be held in 4 age categories – Under 19 (Men), Under 19 (Women), Above 19 (Men) and Above 19 (Women).

State-level events will be held at Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Silchar, Kokrajhar and Diphu with each location holding the final event of a particular discipline.