On January 2, 2022, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Damodardas Modi laid the foundation stone of ~ Rs 700 Crore Major Dhyan Chand Sports University in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh (UP). It will be established at Salawa and Kaili villages of Sardhana town in Meerut
- The Governor of UP Anandiben Patel and its Chief Minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath were also present at the event.
- Dedicated to Major Dhyan Chand, an Indian field hockey player, the university will graduate 1,080 students annually.
- It should be noted that Meerut is exporting sporting goods to more than 100 countries.
University with modern and state of the art Sports Infrastructure:
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. The university will also house facilities for Shooting, Squash, Gymnastics, Weightlifting, Archery, Canoeing and Kayaking, among other facilities.
Other Visits by PM in Meerut:
i.He offered prayers at the Augurnath temple.
ii.He paid floral tribute at Amar Jawan Jyoti and visited Government Freedom Struggle Museum in Shaheed Smarak in Meerut Cantt.
Efforts by Indian Government to boost sports in India:
i.The central government has given top priority to the Indian players to get four tools viz. resources, modern facilities for training, international exposure and transparency in selection.
ii.It also linked sports with employment along with initiatives like Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) which provide all support to top sportspersons to compete at the highest level; Khelo India Abhiyan recognizes talent at a very young age. Even in the new National Education Policy (NEP), priority has been given to sports as schools will have it as a proper subject.
Other welfare schemes in UP highlighted during the event:
i.Under Svamitva (Survey of Villages Abadi and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) scheme, an initiative of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, more than 23 lakh titles (Gharauni) have been given in 75 districts.
ii.Farmers of the state have received crores of rupees in their account under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. They have also benefited by the record payment to the sugarcane farmers.
iii.Rs 12000 crore worth of ethanol have been purchased from UP.
Point to be noted:
The first National Sports University (NSU) of India is located in Imphal, the capital of Manipur. It also function as the national training centre for selected sports disciplines by adopting the best international practices through Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with international universities.
Recent Related News:
In September 2021, the Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju inaugurated India’s 1st ‘Sports Arbitration Centre of India’ (SACI) in Gujarat. The SACI will serve as an independent body to redress the disputes in the sports sector and expand the country’s sports sector.
About Uttar Pradesh (UP):
Wildlife Sanctuaries– Katarniya Ghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary, National Chambal Sanctuary
Tiger Reserve– Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, Amangarh (buffer of Corbett TR)
Zoological Park– Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Zoological Garden, Kanpur Zoological Park
