new Delhi: Minister of State for Youth and Sports Affairs Nisith Pramanik told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that the government is considering the ‘One State, One Sports’ scheme and a decision will be taken in this regard at an appropriate time. He also informed the House that ‘Chess Olympiad 2022’ is being organized in India. Pramanik, in response to a supplementary question by BJP MP Hema Malini during the Question Hour, said that Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Anurag Thakur had discussed the theme of ‘One State, One Sport’ (One State, One Sports) by the Sports Minister of each state and their officers. Meeting through digital medium with
The Minister of State for Sports said that proposals have also been sought from the states in these meetings and a decision on ‘One State, One Sports’ would be taken at an appropriate time. Mathura MP Hema Malini had asked whether the government was considering the policy of ‘one state, one sport’ keeping in mind its one major sport in each state. He said that just like wrestling in Haryana, Kabaddi in Maharashtra and football in West Bengal with special focus on one major sport, attention can also be given to other sports. At the same time, Minister of State for Sports Pramanik said that due to the vision and policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today the country is moving ahead in the field of sports and has the capacity and infrastructure to host any major sporting event including Olympics.
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He said that the ‘Chess Olympiad 2022’ was earlier scheduled to be held in Russia, but India has got this opportunity after it was snatched from Russia due to the attack on Ukraine. Pramanik said that many big countries, including China, were queuing for its event, but the committee of the Olympiad considered India worthy and decided to organize it in our country. The 44th Chess Olympiad will be held in Chennai this year. This is the second major global chess tournament to be held in India after the World Championships in 2013.
Pramanik, in response to a supplementary question by BJP MP Ganesh Singh, said that to promote sports in the country, it has been decided to open 1,000 ‘Khelo India Kendras’ by 2024, of which 478 ‘Khelo India Kendras’ have been built so far. He said that if MPs want to open such centers in their respective areas, then they can send a proposal to the Center through the states.
Responding to a question on promoting sports talent in rural areas, Pramanik said that India has got the most success and the highest number of medals in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Where most of the medal winning players were from rural background including names like Neeraj Chopra, Mirabai Chanu and Lovlina Borgohain. He said that ‘Khelo India Centers’ are being opened in smaller towns and at the district level where players come from rural areas. Apart from these, players from rural areas have also come for training in 47 sports academies run under ‘Khelo India’. (agency)