Ahmedabad, Aug 29 (IANS) Sports, natural farming and strong values are essential for building a healthy and strong India, Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat said at a National Sports Day awards ceremony in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
Speaking at the annual awards and felicitation ceremony organised by the Sports Journalists Association of Gujarat in association with the Sports Authority of Gujarat, Devvrat said: “Sports should be an integral part of the development of young people and greater efforts are needed to channel children’s energy through organised physical activity.”
The Governor expressed concern over children’s increasing dependence on mobile phones and screens, saying the playground is the best way to help them move away from such habits.
“The immense energy of children could lead them in the wrong direction if it were not channelled properly,” he said.
Referring to his experiences at Gurukul Kurukshetra, Devvrat said discipline and sports could enable children from ordinary backgrounds to compete successfully at the international level.
He cited the examples of Rajendra, a Gurukul Kurukshetra student and Commonwealth gold medallist wrestler, and Jorawarsinh and Surendra, sportspersons who went on to become senior police officers in Haryana.
He stressed the importance of identifying sporting talent from the age of five and providing children with scientific training.
The Governor also linked good health with natural farming and called for environmental conservation as part of efforts to build a healthy and strong India.
Former Rajya Sabha MP Narhari Amin, who was present too, said the sports budget had increased 33-fold under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“More than 2,800 athletes were being provided an annual scholarship of Rs five lakh and world-class coaching under government schemes,” he said.
Amin also referred to infrastructure such as the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad, saying facilities of this kind were helping provide athletes with opportunities to prepare for competition at the global level.
Two veterans of Gujarat’s sporting fraternity were presented with Lifetime Achievement Awards for their long-standing contributions.
Mayur Patel, who has served as coach to world-renowned chess player Viswanathan Anand, and cricket coach Jayprakash Patel, who has contributed to state cricket and helped develop several Ranji Trophy players, were honoured.
More than 17 players and other prominent figures for their contribution to sports in Gujarat were also felicitated with trophies and certificates.
–IANS
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