Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Anurag Singh Thakur on Monday attended as Chief Guests the Opening Ceremony of the Khelo India University Games 2023 – Ashtalakshmi at a programme held at the Sarusajai Sports Complex in Guwahati.

 Speaking at the event, Chief Minister Sarma said it was a matter of great pride for the State and its residents to host a sporting event of this magnitude.

He said sports have the potential to foster unity among various groups of people and that they contribute greatly towards the idea of “Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat.”

The Chief Minister added that sports promote national integration by making the sportspersons familiar with the culture and traditions of regions other than their own.

 Chief Minister Dr Sarma exuded confidence that this edition of the Khelo India University Games will continue with the tradition of promoting the ideals of brotherhood and amity.

He expressed hope that the athletes from more than 200 universities across the country will take back home fond memories from Assam and the rest of the Northeast.

Chief Minister Dr. Sarma said Assam has been hosting sporting events of great magnitude in the past few years, and the State would like to once again host the National Games.

He appealed to Union Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur to look into the prospect of Assam hosting the National Games in the near future.

 He said the government of Assam has been working relentlessly to transform Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of seeing the country becoming a sporting superpower into reality. With this objective in mind, a Rs 800 crore Nehru Stadium redevelopment project has been launched, he said. Also, state-of-the-art stadiums in Amingaon and Chandrapur are also coming up, he added.

 The Chief Minister further added that there shall be a Rs 50 crore sports complex in every district headquarters and a Rs 12 crore sports complex in every Legislative Assembly constituency of the state.

 The Chief Minister exuded confidence that the sporting legacy of the State will grow further and bring greater glory to Assam in the days to come. Chief Minister Dr. Sarma’s better half Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, Sports Minister of Tripura Tinku Roy, Sports Minister of Mizoram Pu Lalnghinglova Hmar, Assam’s Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Nandita Gorlosa, Ministers of Assam Cabinet Ranjeet Kumar Dass, Chandramohan Patowary, Jayanta Mallabaruah, U G Brahma, Member of Parliament Queen Oja , DG, SAI Sandip Pradhan, Chief Secretary of Assam Government Paban Kumar Borthakur, DGP GP Singh, along with host of other dignitaries, were present too.

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