Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 37th National Games in Goa on Thursday. During this, he said that India is ready to host the Olympics in 2036.
The PM said that the government has increased expenditure on sports three times in the last nine years. The National Games will be organized in Goa from 26 October to 9 November.
Inaugurating the National Games at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao, Prime Minister Modi said that these Games are being organized in Goa when Indian sports are not reaching heights.
PM Modi said, “We have made changes in the schemes to provide financial benefits to the players. There is no dearth of sporting talent in India and the country has produced many champions in sports.
In Goa, the Prime Minister said, “These National Games are being held at a time when India is achieving new heights of success one after the other in the sports world. What has not happened in 70 years, we have seen this time in the Asian Games. Asian Para Games are also going on at this time. In this too, Indian players broke all the records till now by winning more than 70 medals.”
The Prime Minister said that today the youth of India are full of unprecedented confidence. To link this confidence with the national resolve, a platform named My Bharat has been approved. This will be a one stop center to connect rural and urban youth i.e. every youth of the country with each other and with the government.
PM mentioned several major works of his government in the last 30 to 35 days, including passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill, successful completion of key tests in the Gaganyaan mission, launch of regional rapid transit NaMo Bharat trains, evacuation of Indians stranded in Israel. Operation Ajay involves operation of flights to ensure return of civilians
The PM said that after 2000, the central government created the necessary sports infrastructure and made the selection process for competitions more transparent and also made changes in the financial schemes for the players.
The Prime Minister said that previous governments did not keep adequate budget for sports. He said, “We increased the sports budget. This year’s (2023-24) sports budget is three times more than the sports budget of 9 years ago.
Modi said that the central government started a new system to promote sports activities in the country.
He said, “Students were identified from schools, colleges and universities and they were given training in various fields. The government also spent on their food and training.
The National Games will be organized in Goa from 26 October to 9 November. More than 10000 players from across the country are participating in it. These games include a total of 43 sports which will be organized in 28 venues.
