Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday laid the foundation stone of the Rs 700 crore Major Dhyan Chand Sports University at Meerut in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday saying the project was part of his resolve and vision to introduce a sports ecosystem in the country that measured up to the best international standards.
Reaching out to the youth of the state he said that the university would take “local sports talent global” and help them win laurels that would make the entire country proud of them.
Addressing a mammoth rally at Meerut, the Prime Minister said the university would provide opportunities to the youth to take up sports as a professional career and the very name of hockey wizard Dhyan Chand would serve as an inspiring force for them to reach the peak of excellence.
The Sports University will be equipped with modern and state-of-the-art sports infrastructure including synthetic Hockey ground, Football ground, Basketball, Volleyball, Handball, Kabaddi ground, Lawn tennis court, Gymnasium hall, Synthetic running stadium, Swimming pool, Multipurpose hall, and a Cycling Velodrome.
It will also house facilities for Shooting, Squash, Gymnastics, Weightlifting, Archery, Canoeing, and Kayaking, among other facilities with the capacity of training 1080 sportspersons including 540 female and 540 male sportspersons.
He said earlier modern sports infrastructure was available only in big cities but his government was developing the latest sports ecosystem in the entire country so that even people in the villages could gain access to it.
India’s unprecedented performance in the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games when the country’s athletes brought home the highest number of medals shows what the government’s policy has been able to achieve in the last 7 years.
Earlier governments ignored sports and discouraged sportspersons as the entire system was ridden with nepotism and corruption in which genuine talent could not come to the forefront, PM Modi said.
“It took us decades to win a medal even in hockey, a sport in which Dhyan Chand excelled and brought great honour to the country,” he pointed out.
Lashing out at the opposition, PM Modi said the previous regimes in Uttar Pradesh were “playing their own games” and protecting criminals during their tenure and pointed out that the present Yogi Adityanath government plays "jail-jail" with such lawbreakers.
"During the previous governments, the criminals, mafia were allowed to games and tournaments of illegal occupation of other people’s property. The people of Meerut and adjoining areas can never forget that their homes used to be burnt. It was because of such games that the previous governments that the people were compelled to leave their own homes and flee to other places. Now the Yogi government has put them in jail," the Prime Minister said.
"Five years ago, daughters here were afraid of going out after evening. Today, they are making the whole country proud," he added.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi offered prayers at the Augurnath temple. He also paid floral tribute at Shahid Smarak.
He was joined by Uttar Pradesh's Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
