Development of sports top priority: Khattar

Our Correspondent

Sonepat, May 19

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday said that development of sports and welfare of sportspersons was one of the top priorities of the state government.

He was addressing the audience after inaugurating the new Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram Wrestling Academy at Kharkhoda in Sonepat district. He appreciated Haryana sportspersons for winning 22 of 66 medals won by India in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games. He said that the government has improved the sports policy with an aim to develop Haryana as a world-class sports centre.

Khattar said besides opening gymnasiums in 309 villages, 525 sports nurseries had also been opened in schools for children between the age group of nine and 14 years. Motilal Nehru School of Sports at Rai in Sonepat would be developed as a sports university, he added.

“Kabaddi and wrestling are the traditional sports of Haryana and the government has introduced cash prizes for these,” he said and announced a grant of Rs 21 lakh for the wrestling academy. Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyu said that the sportspersons are the honour of the state as well as the country.

International medal winning wrestlers Yogeshwar Dutt, Bajrang Punia and Mausham Khatri and other Arjuna awardee wrestlers were present on the occasion.

KMP Expressway to open in June

Chandigarh: Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has said the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway will be inaugurated in June. Khttar, while speaking at a programme here on Saturday, said that the construction of the KMP should have been completed in 2010. "The BJP soon after coming to power had restarted the work on the expressway and now it is nearing completion," he added.