Sangrur, August 29: The local War Heroes Stadium today witnessed a dazzling start for one of the biggest sporting extravaganzas of the country-Kedan Watan Punjab Dian as Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Thursday inaugurated the third edition of these games.

The Chief Minister took salute from the impressive march past of the participating contingents of various districts. Bhagwant Singh Mann announced the opening of this much-awaited, nearly two-month-long gala sporting event, expressing immense pride and satisfaction as it launches today to commemorate National Sports Day—the birth anniversary of Hockey Wizard Major Dhyan Chand.He said that this time around five lakh players will vie for medals in nine age groups of 37 games.

Kedan Watan Punjab Dian : CM announced a cash prize of over Rs 9 crore

The Chief Minister announced a cash prize of over Rs 9 crore for the winners and added that Khedan Watan Punjab Dian now includes para sports like Athletics, Badminton, and Powerlifting for the first time. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that in these three sports, para athletes from Punjab are participating in the Paris Paralympics.

The Chief Minister said that this major sports event aims at channelising the unbounded energy of youth in a positive direction to wean them away from the menace of drugs. During these games, block-level competitions will be held from September 1-10, district-level competitions from September 15-22, and state-level competitions from October 11 to November 9. Bhagwant Singh Mann stated that the second season of “Khedan Watan Punjab Dian” took place in 2023, with 4.5 lakh players participating and Rs 8.87 crore distributed to 12,500 winning players.

Kedan Watan Punjab Dian : State govt kept a budgetary provision of Rs 30 crore

The Chief Minister said that in order to give impetus to sports the state government has kept a budgetary provision of Rs 30 crore in Punjab for Khedan Watan Punjab Dian during current year. He said that the state government has given cash prize worth Rs 1 crore each to eight players of Indian hockey contingent that had bagged bronze medals adding that Rs 15 lakh was given to participants apart from Rs 15 lakh given for preparation to them.

Bhagwant Singh Mann said that ever since assuming the charge of office his government has disbursed Rs 87.47 crore to 24,500 players for winning medals, participation in competition and preparation of such events.

The Chief Minister said that the sports budget for current fiscal was Rs 252 crore which was 16.36 % more than last year. Punjab has become the first state in the country to create a medical cadre in sports with 113 new posts, according to Bhagwant Singh Mann.

Approval of 500 new posts for outstanding sports personnel

He announced the approval of 500 new posts for outstanding sports personnel (medal winners). He also increased the number of posts for Junior Coaches, Senior Coaches, Assistant Directors, and Deputy Directors from 444 to 581.

The Chief Minister said that the state government has been making all out efforts for promoting sports across the state to channelise the unbounded energy of youth in a positive manner. He said that these games were a right step towards this direction as it will provide a platform to the players for showcasing their talent.

State govt to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the players

Bhagwant Singh Mann asserted that likewise it will also help the state government to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the players which will be beneficial for grooming them for the national and international events in future.

The Chief Minister said that the Aam Aadmi government is working on an aggressive campaign to produce a maximum number of trained sportspersons and to have more Punjabi players in the Indian contingent for international events.

He stressed that Punjab has abundant sports talent and the Punjab government would not leave any stone upturned to enable the players to participate and win medals for India in the international arena. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that Punjab has become the first state in the country to provide funds for preparation of international events to the players.

The Chief Minister said that the games will provide an opportunity to the youth to excel in the field of sports. He said that Punjab and sports have a strong bond adding that even in recently concluded Olympics Punjabi players proved their mettle in the games and it is a matter of great pride that 10 members of medal winning Indian Hockey squad were from Punjab.

Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the youth of the state have an inherent talent but the successive governments have failed to provide requisite infrastructure.

Kedan Watan Punjab Dian : state government is committed for restoring the pristine glory

The Chief Minister asserted that the players are being provided with state of the art infrastructure and world class facilities. He said that the state government is committed for restoring the pristine glory of the state in the field of sports and no stone is being left unturned for it. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that due to concerted efforts of the state government players have carved a niche for themselves in the Asian games and Olympics.

Gurdass Mann entertained the audience

Meanwhile, cultural performances by the school kids mesmerised the audience with their dazzling performance. Leading Punjabi singers Gurdass Mann, Harbhajan Shera, Pari Pandher, Asmeet Sehra, Basant Kaur, Arman Dhillon and other singers entertained the audience. On the occasion, wonder kids stunned the audiences with their skating and gymnastic performances.

Earlier players such as Maha Singh, Mandeep Kaur, Sunita Rani, Gagan Ajit Singh, Sifat Kaur, Arjan Singh Cheema, Sukhmeet Singh, Vijayveer Singh, Harshdeep Kaur, Mehakpreet Singh, Simranjeet Singh and Jaspreet Singh brought the torch of games and triggered the flame from the stage. Renowned Player Abhi Joshi was the flag bearer of the game.

On the occasion the impressive video depicting the overall scenario of the games accompanied by the traditional dance ‘Giddha’ and ‘Bhangra’ enthralled the audience and forced them to tap their feet. Likewise the gathering also cheered the medley performance of students during the inaugural function in the stadium. The gathering also gave a standing ovation to the dazzling firework show on the occasion.

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