Chandigarh, August 27: Under the aegis of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, and My Bharat, the ‘Khelo India Samvaad – Khel Ki Baat, PM Ke Saath’ programme was organised at Dyal Singh College and Government College in Karnal with the objective of connecting young people with sports, promoting a strong sporting culture and encouraging them to stay away from substance abuse. Around 500 young people and participants enthusiastically took part in the programme and watched and listened to Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi’s interaction and address to the youth.
A government spokesperson said that through his address, the Prime Minister called upon the youth of the country to actively participate in sports, make sportsmanship a part of their lives and stay away from social evils such as substance abuse. He urged them to contribute to building a healthy, disciplined and developed India.
During the programme, young participants also shared their views and suggestions on various issues related to sports and youth development. These included strengthening the country’s sports ecosystem, nurturing and developing sporting talent for the 2036 Olympic Games, promoting youth leadership and greater participation of young people in governance, empowering youth for building a developed India, and creating a drug-free youth population for a developed India. The participants also offered important suggestions on expanding sports facilities, identifying sporting talent at the rural and grassroots levels, improving training and coaching facilities, increasing youth participation in sports and promoting youth-led initiatives against substance abuse.
Interaction of Youth with Athletes
To make the programme more inspiring, young participants also interacted with two emerging sporting talents, Ashi Kashyap from lawn tennis and Angel Rana from cycling. Both athletes shared their sporting experiences, struggles, discipline, fitness practices and journeys to success with the participants. They encouraged young people to consider sports as both a career option and a healthy lifestyle.
The spokesperson said that the Khelo India Samvaad – Khel Ki Baat, PM Ke Saath programme is an important platform for directly connecting young people with the country’s sporting future and nation-building. He said that all five themes of the programme are closely linked to the future of the youth, and the ideas put forward by young participants can provide valuable direction for India’s sports and youth policies.
He called upon the youth to stay connected with sports, remain away from substance abuse and contribute actively to the building of a Viksit Bharat. At the conclusion of the programme, the participating youth took a pledge to make sports a part of their lives, stay away from substance abuse and ensure active participation in building a developed India.
