Minister for PHE, Irrigation & Flood Control, Sham Lal Sharma today declared open 25th J&K State Junior Volleyball Championship at Akhnoor. The 3-day championship (21st to 23rd Nov.) has been organized by the J&K Volleyball Association in collaboration with the J&K Sports Council and is being played in the Play Ground of Government Higher Secondary School, Akhnoor.In this annual event as many as 17 teams of boys and girls from across the State are participating. The championship will be played on league-cum-knockout basis as per the Volleyball Federation of India (VFI) rules.Prominent among those present on the occasion included, President J&K Volleyball Association (J&K VA), Mr. Raj Daluja, General Secretary, Mr. Kuldeep Magotra, other Members of the Association, Mr. Sudershan Gupta, Mr. R.C. Sharma, Prof Dhayan Singh, Mr. Raman Gupta, Principal GHSS, Akhnoor, Mr. Balji Thaploo, officers of various department, prominent citizens and large number of students of Akhnoor and adjoining institutions.
Congratulating the organizers for holding the annual event at Akhnoor, the Minister said that this will encourage the local youth towards the sports activities. He said there is no dearth of talent in the sub-urban and rural areas of Akhnoor provided they get appropriate plate form and required facilities. He stressed the need for accelerating the sports activities in the schools, which he said was must for the overall development of the students.The Minister said that sports activities not only keep youth mentally and physically fit but also inculcate sense of responsibility, discipline and patriotism in them. He said sports events provide opportunities to the youth to exchange their culture and they get benefitted by sharing mutual experiences. The sports also in calculate spirit of patriotism among the youth.
The Minister said that Government was committed to give impetus to the sports activities in the State for which several initiatives have been taken already. During the past one decade many national level sports events have been organized in the State successfully and Jammu and Kashmir has become hub of sports activities. As far as Akhnoor is concerned, the Minister said that work on the construction of outdoor stadium near Degree College Pallwan is in full swing and likely to be completed in next couple of months. He further apprised that an indoor stadium has been approved by the Central Government and site for its construction will be identified shortly. This will create sports activities for the girls in particular.On the occasion, the Minister interacted with the players and wished them good tournament. He asked the organizers to provide good boarding and lodging facilities to the guest players.Mr. Raj Daluja welcomed the gathering and thanked the local administration for all kinds of support to make the event a success. He highlighted the activities of the Association. He said that out of this tournament the team for national championship will be selected. He expressed his gratitude to the Minister for gracing the occasion.