Vij unveils Shaheed Bhagat Singh Trophy

Chandigarh May 16

Haryana Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Anil Vij unveiled the trophies of Shaheed Bhagat Singh 30th All India U-15 National Day/Night League Cricket Championship here today.

The championship is being organised by the Cricket Federation of Haryana and Cricket Federation of India in Chandigarh and Panchkula. 

Twelve teams, including a team from Nepal, are participating in the championship.

The officials said the main motive of the league was to provide an appropriate opportunity to the young sportspersons to show their talent and channelise their energy in right direction.

Vij lauded the representatives of the cricket federation for organising the championship in the name of Shaheed Bhagat Singh.

He also announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakhs from his discretionary fund for the successful organisation of the championship.

Vij said that during the campaign the state would be divided into four zones and team of central government would be invited to inform sportspersons about the precautions that they may take to avoid accidental or habitual doping. With a view to reach out to every sportsperson, this campaign would later be launched at district level, he added. He said that that 90 per cent of the proposals received from panchayats in the state have recommended that sports stadia named after Rajiv Gandhi should be renamed after Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh and other martyrs. 

The sports minister said that with a view to promote sports activities in the state, sportspersons were being provided opportunities and facilities so that they could excel at national and international levels. To prepare outstanding sportspersons in each discipline, 20 sports nurseries are being set up in each district of the State. Salary of coaches, monthly scholarship of Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 to the sportspersons and other assistance are being provided in these nurseries. Apart from this, Vyayam and Yogshalas are being opened in all 6,500 villages in the State. As many as 1,000 such Vyayam and Yogshalas being opened in the first phase would soon start functioning, he added.