‘Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan’ torch gets rousing welcome
Patiala, August 26
The ‘Khedan Vatan Punjab Diyan’ Season 3 torch received a warm welcome upon its arrival in Patiala today. Punjab’s Health and Family Welfare Minister, Dr Balbir Singh, Punjab Mandi Board Chairman Harchand Singh Barsat, Deputy Commissioner Showkat Ahmad Parray and ADC Kanchan were especially present to welcome the torch at Raja Bhalinder Singh Sports Stadium (Polo Ground) today.
Addressing the gathering, Dr Balbir Singh said the ‘Khedan Vatan Punjab Diyan’ initiative was started under the efforts of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to reintroduce the culture of sports in the state and to bring children, youth and the elderly back to the playing fields. He said these games would play a pivotal role for athletes who wanted to play at the national and international levels. He said the government had provided Rs 12.50 crore to 19 Punjab players who had participated in the Paris Olympics this year.
Barsat said with the aim of providing better facilities to the players, the Punjab Mandi Board was starting to use mandi sheds as indoor stadiums during the off-season. He said around 500 coaches had also been contacted to train the players as volunteers.
DC Parray, while encouraging the players, said ‘Khedan Vatan Punjab Diyan’, being held for the third consecutive year had given them a chance to showcase their sporting talent. He said today, when the sports torch had reached Patiala, it had filled all the players with enthusiasm. He said such sports competitions were proving to be very effective in channelising the energy of the youth in the right direction.
District Sports Officer Harvinder Singh urged the people of Patiala to register for the games. He said competitions would be held in various sports across nine age groups and that they would begin on September 1. He said the event would be inaugurated by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on August 29 in Sangrur. He said that block-level competitions would also be held from September 1 to 10.
He said ‘Khedan Vatan Punjab Diyan’ had given an opportunity to the people of every age group to showcase their sporting talent, including U-14, U-17, U-21, U-21-30, U-31-40, U-41-50, U-51-60, and U-61-70 and above. He urged players to register themselves on https://eservices.punjab.gov.in by August 28 and said that to be a part of prosperous Punjab, the district’s residents shall participate in ‘Khedan Vatan Punjab Diyan’ in large numbers.