Odisha is shaping the future of India in Sports: Achyuta Samanta

Bhubaneswar/Delhi: Odisha is shaping the future of India in sports, said Dr. Achyuta Samanta, MP, Kandhamal today in Parliament.

Participating in a session on discussion and voting on — Demands for Grants for Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports — during the ongoing budget session, he said, today’s youth will shape the country’s tomorrow and sports have a tremendous role to play in this.

Raising various grass-root level issues of sport in the country, the Kandhamal MP said, we should strive to achieve our best potential.

“Odisha now has become the sports capital of India thanks to the continuous effort put by Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minister of Odisha.

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World-class sports infrastructure has been created in the State due to the effort of the Odisha Chief Minister. Odisha is a tribal-dominated State. In Indian Hockey team, Odia players including Dilip Tirkey and many others have found a place for last so many years”, he stated.

He also cited the example of Dutee Chand who won a gold medal in the recently concluded World University games in Italy.

Drawing parallel to active campaigns of schemes like Swachha Bharat, Ujjwala, Ayushman and Soubhagya, introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said that similar campaign is needed for sports to develop it in the country.

“We need to handhold and guide them right from the formative stage and provide them suitable training and empower them with an assurance of education and career, so that they can excel at the top level. Khelo India programme already has been introduced to revive the sports culture in India at the grass-root level by building a strong framework. We have to give more importance to it”, he added.