Arvind Kejriwal, CM Mann lay foundation stone for 3,000 sports stadiums worth Rs 1,184 crore across Punjab

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann laid the foundation stone for over 3,000 sports stadiums across the state during an event at Kaljharani village in Bathinda district.

The ambitious project, involving an investment of ₹1,184 crore, is part of the Punjab Government’s initiative to strengthen rural sports infrastructure and nurture young sporting talent. These multi-purpose stadiums will be built with an aim to provide modern training facilities for a variety of sports, encouraging youth to adopt a healthy lifestyle and stay away from drugs.

Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that Punjab had produced many sportspersons who had made the nation proud, and the government’s vision was to “bring back the sporting glory of Punjab”. He said that providing right facilities and environment would help channel the youth’s energy in a positive direction.

He said it was a matter of great pride that Punjabis were captains of Indian sports teams — Shubham Gill of the Indian cricket team from Fazilka, Harmanpreet Kaur of the national women’s team from Moga and Harmandeep Singh of hockey also from Punjab.

Kejriwal, while praising the initiative, said, “The Punjab model of development is focused on empowering people — be it in education, healthcare, or sports. These stadiums will not only produce champions but also create a healthy and disciplined young generation.”

Both leaders also took a dig at opposition leaders, accusing them of neglecting Punjab’s youth and misusing power for personal gains. Mann alleged that previous governments had failed to create meaningful opportunities for the younger generation, resulting in social and economic distress.

They said that in the fight against drugs, when a big leader was arrested, all those parties got together in his support, showing that they were all together. 

Kejriwal, in his address, asserted that the AAP government’s transparent and people-centric policies were transforming Punjab’s villages and cities alike. “We are delivering what others only promised,” he said, claiming that the era of corruption and dynasty politics was over.

Kejriwal said apart from sports, the AAP government, led by Bhagwant Mann, had given 55,000 jobs to youth. This was the first time that such a huge number of jobs had been provided, and that to without any money been given by anyone like previous jobs as this time all jobs have been given on merit.