Mann throws open 509 rural sports grounds, takes tally to 764 | Chandigarh News
Patiala: Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann on Monday unveiled 509 modern ‘pendu khed maidan’, or rural sports grounds, across the state, taking the number of such grounds to 764.He the initiative would provide rural youth better sporting facilities while strengthening govt’s campaign against drugs.Launching the second phase from Patiala, Mann said the state govt had thown open 255 grounds in the first phase and was working towards developing 3,100 across Punjab this year. “These Pendu Khed Maidan will make an effective contribution to ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign. They will give our youngsters the message of ‘Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Sports’. For budding and emerging sportspersons, these grounds will become beacons of hope and opportunity,” he said.The 509 grounds include 43 in Ludhiana, 41 in Mansa, 36 in Sangrur, 34 each in Bathinda and Patiala, 33 in Muktsar Sahib and 32 in Amritsar.The grounds will have facilities for volleyball, football, cricket and other traditional sports, besides football goalposts, volleyball poles, children’s swings, walking tracks, high-mast lights, footlights and chain-link fencing. Sports equipment will be provided based on the sport popular in each village. Plantation will also be undertaken around the grounds.Mann said govt had allocated Rs 1,744 crore for sports this year, including Rs 1,500 crore for the 3,100 rural grounds. It is also developing rural gyms and increasing financial support for sportspersons, he added. “If a child has a good school for education and a proper sports ground for physical development, that child can bring glory to the village, Punjab and the country at the global level,” he said.Mann said Punjab had dedicated 2026 to sports and sportspersons. The fourth season of Khedan Wattan Punjab Diyan will begin in Bathinda on Sept 5, with an estimated 10 lakh participants.He said Punjab would host the Hockey Asian Champions Trophy for the first time, with matches scheduled in Jalandhar and Mohali during Oct-Nov. A T20 cricket league will also be held at PCA Stadium, Mohali, from Aug 30 to Sept 13.
