Himachal: U-19 girls’ national kabaddi tourney begins
Himachal Education Minister Rohit Thakur today stated that sports, along with education, play a crucial role in the all-round development of youth.
He was addressing participants during the inauguration of the five-day 69th national-level U-19 girls’ kabaddi competition in Nalagarh today.
As many as 336 girls and 84 officials from 28 states are participating in the competition, wherein 56 matches will be played.
While encouraging the participants, Thakur said, “Sports lead to physical as well as intellectual development of a person. Through sports, the spirit of competition is imbibed among the youth, and they also get opportunities to hone their talent.”
He elaborated upon the developmental initiates of his government and said, “The state government has significantly increased diet money to improve the nutrition and performance of players.”
“In a bid to encourage sportspersons, the state government has made a historic increase in prize money. Gold medal winners in the Olympics, Winter Olympics, and Paralympics are being given Rs 5 crore, silver medal winners Rs 3 crore, and bronze medal winners Rs 2 crore,” he said.
He said that players who participated in or won medals in international competitions in 2024 had been awarded Rs 17.44 crore. “In a bid to ensure a bright future for outstanding players, 99 players have been provided employment under the 3 per cent sports quota so far,” said the minister.
The state government has constructed new sports hostels in Jubbal in Shimla district and Sandhol in Mandi district, keeping in view the requirements, he said, adding that approximately 23 different committees had been formed by the Education Department for the successful organisation of the competition. He also took the salute of the players’ march-past on the occasion and announced a grant of Rs 21,000 for the children who presented cultural programmes.
Amarjeet Sharma, general secretary of the School Games Federation of India, provided detailed information about the competition.
