Move aimed at promoting sporting activity in the city of Sports
Curtains fall for Surjit Hockey tournament
By SK.Vyas:
Jalandhar, October 20, 2019: With a promise to meet again next year, the curtains today fell for the nine day Hockey extravaganza- 36th Surjit Hockey Tournament today after the Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Punjab Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi announced that Punjab government would ensure the world-class infrastructure of sports in Jalandhar to boost sporting activity.
Addressing the gathering while presiding over a function to mark culmination of this mega event, the Minister said that the state government would ensure that all the sports ground in the district would be given a facelift in the coming times. He said that private players were being roped in for this noble cause to ensure that sporting activity gets a major boost in this sports city. Rana Sodhi envisioned that the state of the art sports infrastructure would go a long way in producing world-class players from the region.
Acceding to the demand raised by Deputy Commissioner Jalandhar cum Chairman of Surjit Hockey Society, the Minister said that the state government would install new AstroTurf in the Surjit Hockey Stadium. He said that it was the need of the hour to make sure that budding hockey players were provided world-class ground to prepare them for national and international events. Rana Sodhi said that no stone would be left unturned for promoting sports especially Hockey in the state.
The Minister further said that Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh was undertaking specialized efforts to uplift the level of sports in the state for which Punjab has come out with a comprehensive sports policy. He also said that the state government was making all-out efforts for promoting sports across the state to channelize the unbounded energy of youth in a positive manner. Rana Sodhi said that the sports the policy of the state government was a right step towards this direction as it provides jobs as it emphasizes not only on enhancing the prize money of various National and International tournaments but also ensuring a robust and top-notch sports infrastructure in Punjab aiming at producing champions for national and international events.
The Minister said that the Sports policy of Punjab was the best one in the country which aims to produce top sportsmen for national and international levels. He said that it was the result of this policy only that presently nine players from the state were a part of the Indian Hockey squad. Rana Sodhi hoped that this team would clinch the 20-20 Hockey scheduled to take place in Tokyo in the coming times.
Announcing a grant of Rs 21 lakh for the Surjit Hockey Academy, the Minister lauded the stupendous efforts being made by the academy for producing ace Hockey player in the national and international arena. He assured fulsome support and cooperation to the academy by the state government for further promoting hockey the national game in the region. “The efforts of the academy are really laudable and I am sure it will certainly help in restoring the pristine glory of the game in the world” added Rana Sodhi.
Earlier, the Deputy Commissioner Jalandhar cum President of the Surjit Hockey Society Varinder Kumar Sharma welcomed the chief guest and other dignitaries in the tournament.
Earlier, the Minister also distributed 550 Sports kits to the budding players for commemorating the 550th parkash purab of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji.
Meanwhile, the famous Punjabi singer Gurnam Bhullar regaled the audiences with his songs.
On the occasion MLAs Pargat Singh and Sushil Kumar Rinku, Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, Chairman PUNSUP Tejinder Singh Bittu, Chairman Punjab State Youth Development Board Sukhwinder Singh Bindra, Additional Deputy Commissioner Jasbir Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Amrik Singh Pawar and Gagnesh Kumar, Sub Divisional Magistrate Dr Jai Inder Singh, Chief PRO Surjit Hockey Surinder Singh Bhapa, District Guidance Counselor Surjit Lal and others were also present.