Martial Art Gatka to become part of affiliated sports-Sukhbir Badal

Nabha (Patiala), December 15, 2014: For maximum participation of Punjabi's in Indian contingent for Olympics, all 146 block of Punjab will have sports centres. This was revealed by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal while attending fifth Kabaddi World Cup 2014 at PPS Nabha Sports Complex, here on Monday. The Deputy CM said that each sports centre would have ultra modern state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor stadiums that would provide sports training as well as facilities to sportspersons of the state.

Badal said that his main aim is that the Punjabi players would have maximum participation in Rio Olympics 2016. "I see this getting into reality as venues for new sports centres have also been earmarked in 20 blocks where construction work would start from next month. The work in remaining blocks is also in the pipeline," said the Deputy CM.

He said that each sports centre would be set up with a cost of Rs 1.60 crore and it would have all kinds of ultra modern sports facilities. Badal said that in tomorrow's cabinet meeting, government jobs to 125 players would also be cleared. He informed that traditional game Gatka will also be recognised and become part of affiliated sports in tomorrow's cabinet meeting. He said that this decision has been taken to promote Gatka game world over and martial art players also get eligible for government jobs and other facilities like sportspersons of other affiliated games.

The Deputy CM said that Punjab has already achieved power surplus status and from next year, there won't even be any shortage of coal. "Thermal Plant at Goindwal Sahib is complete and it would start getting power supply shortly as the centre government is already formulating a national policy for coal mining for the same," said the Deputy CM.

While speaking on the occasion, Surjit Singh Rakhra, Higher Education Minister, Punjab, said that it is only due to the efforts of Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janta Party government that our mother sport Kabaddi has emerged on the international sports arena and countries like Argentina, Azerbaijan, Sweden, Denmark and several others have now started playing Kabaddi. He said day is not far when Kabaddi would become part of Commonwealth, Asian and Olympics.

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