Promote sports culture in country, says PM in 'Man ki Baat'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called upon the people of the country to strive to further the momentum, the field of sports has gained through the recent Olympics and contribute whatever they can to promote sports culture in the country.He said, the nation must garner expertise in a variety of sports taking advantage of this opportunity. In his monthly Mann Ki Baat Programme on All India Radio on Sunday, Modi said, sports competitions should be held everywhere including remote villages and other parts of the country as it is only through competition that sports shall evolve.

He added that this time, the Olympics has created a major impact on the mindset of the people and whatever India earned in Olympics may be lesser in comparison with the world, but enough has happened to boost the confidence and belief of Indians. He said, today, it is not that the youth is just watching sports, they are also looking at possibilities of getting associated with it. He said, now sports has begun to be discussed in every family. Stressing on the need to accord permanence to this momentum, the Prime Minister said, at home or elsewhere, in villages or cities, the playgrounds must be full of activities.He asserted that it is only through collective endeavour of all that India can attain glorious heights in Sports.

Remembering Major Dhyan Chand on his birth anniversary on August 29, Modi, while referring to Indian Hockey teams’ performance in Tokyo Olympics, said, since it was his hockey that brought glory to India in the whole world. And four decades later, the youth of India, once again infused vitality in Indian hockey.The Prime Minister said the mind of the youth has undergone a transformation and today’s young minds, shunning obsolete, age old methods and patterns and want to do something new altogether. They do not want to tread the ready-made beaten paths but want to carve out newer paths. In this context, Modi gave the example of how college students and young people working in the Universities and the private sector enthusiastically came forward, when India opened its Space Sector some time ago.

In view of COVID-19, the Prime Minister reminded people about the mantra of Dawai Bhi, Kadai Bhi and urged them to vaccinate and take precautions. He said, more than 62 crore vaccine doses have been administered in the country, but still people have to be careful and vigilant.