The 'Khedan Watan Punjab Dian’— a two month long sports extravaganza being organized by the Sports Department on the directions of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will infuse new life in the field of sports in Punjab, which has suffered years of neglect.
All the departments and district administrations are working in tandem to ensure that the Mahakumbh of sports in Punjab is a grand success, said Punjab Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Janjua. He was chairing a high-level meeting to review the preparations for the event.
Chief Secretary, while reviewing the arrangements at Punjab Civil Secretariat here on Wednesday, said that the month-long sports competitions will commence from August 29, 2022 onwards following an inauguration event to be held in Jalandhar and Block level tournaments will be started from September 1, 2022 onwards.
Considering the enthusiasm of the players for the games, the last date for registration to participate has been extended from August 25 to August 30, he said, while adding that Interested players can register to participate in games by logging in on the website ‘www.punjabkhedmela2022.in'.
Players facing any issue in applying online can visit the nearby sports department office and could register with the help of sports officials.Mr. Janjua directed the Department of School Education and Higher Education to involve maximum students of schools, colleges and universities in sports.
Rural development department to work with sports department in block level tournaments. Information and Public Relations Department to provide sports-related information at the grassroots level through various means.
Tourism and Cultural Affairs directed to look after the arrangements for the opening ceremony. General State Administration entrusted the responsibility to send invitations to the guests for the opening ceremony.
Regarding the opening ceremony, Deputy Commissioner Jalandhar was asked to make smooth arrangements for the block and district-level sports competitions.The Chief Secretary, while giving approvals to various committees constituted to make this event a huge success, asked them to work hard as these sports are the epitome of Punjab and a great way to channelize the energy of the youth.
Principal Secretary Sports Raj Kamal Chaudhary informed that Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer has inspected the stadium and reviewed the arrangements for the opening ceremony. He said that more than 4 lakh players in different six age groups are expected to participate in the competitions from block to the state level in 28 sports categories.
State-level winners will be given cash prizes worth Rs 6 crore, he added.Prominent among others who were present in the meeting included Principal Secretary Home Anurag Verma, Principal Secretary Rural Development and Panchayats K Siva Prashad, Principal Secretary Tourism and Cultural Affairs Tejveer Singh, Principal Secretary Higher Education and School Education Jaspreet Talwar, Principal Secretary Industries Dilip Kumar, Principal Secretary Local Government Vivek Pratap Singh, Principal Secretary Finance AK Sinha, Principal Secretary Transport Vikas Garg, Secretary Health Ajoy Sharma, Secretary General Administration Kumar Rahul, Secretary Information and Public Relations Gurkirat Kirpal Singh, Tax Commissioner KK Yadav, Excise Commissioner Varun Roozam, ADGP Law and Order Ishwar Singh, Director Information and Public Relations Sonali Giri, Director Tourism and Culture Karnesh Sharma and Director Sports Rajesh Dhiman.