The prime minister first visited the Augurnath temple to offer prayers. He was accompanied by Uttar Pradesh’s Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He then went on to pay floral tribute at Shahid Smarak
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Major Dhyan Chand University in Meerut on Sunday. ANI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Major Dhyan Chand Sports University in Meerut on Sunday.
A huge crowd welcomed the prime minister in the Kranti Dhara, Meerut amid the chants of “Modi-Modi”.
Addressing the crowd in Meerut, Modi said, “The university worth Rs 700 crores will provide international sports facilities to the youth. Every year, more than 1000 girls & boys will graduate from here. Earlier, only criminals & mafias used to play & tournaments of illegal land grabbing happened.”
Lauding the Uttar Pradesh chief minister’s efforts, Modi said, “Yogi ji’s government is playing jail-jail with criminals.”He lashed out at previous governments of the state for protecting lawbreakers and criminals.
He added that the people of Meerut and adjoining areas could never forget that their homes used to be burnt. He said that it was because of the sport of the previous governments that the people were compelled to leave their own homes and flee to other places.
“Five years ago, the daughters of the same Meerut were afraid to leave their homes after dusk. Today the daughters of Meerut are bringing laurels to the entire country,” Modi said.
Emphasising the historic importance of Meerut, the prime minister said, “Meerut’s place in the history of India is not only that of a city, but Meerut is also an important centre of our culture and strength. This area of Meerut has also contributed significantly in giving a new direction to independent India. Whether it is a sacrifice on the border for the defence of the nation or respect for the nation in the playground, this region has always kept the flame of patriotism burning.”
The prime minister first visited the Augurnath temple to offer prayers. He paid floral tributes at the statue of Mangal Pandey, the hero of the Great Revolt of 1857, on Sunday.
Pandey was a sepoy (infantryman) in the 34th Bengal Native Infantry (BNI) regiment of the British East India Company. He had risen in revolt against the British in 1857.
Prior to paying tributes at Pandey’s statue, Modi visited the Kali Paltan Mandir in the city and offered prayers. He then visited the Shaheed Smarak Amar Jawan Jyoti and paid homage to the martyrs of 1857.
The prime minister also visited the Rajkiye Swatantrata Sangrahalaya and saw the exhibits kept there. Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath accompanied the prime minister.
Prior to Modi’s address, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh said that riots in the state have stopped ever since the BJP government came to power in the year 2017.
Addressing the event of the foundation stone laying of Major Dhyan Chand Sports University in Meerut, Adityanath said, “Since the BJP government came in 2017, riots have stopped in the state. The Kanwar Yatra, which was stopped, has started again. Now no one can become a threat to the safety of sisters and daughters here.”
ANI said the Uttar Pradesh chief minister also thanked Modi for naming the country’s highest sports award the Khel Ratna after Major Dhyan Chand, “the magician of Hockey”.
The chief minister further informed that the state government has established ‘Eklavya’ sports coaches in Uttar Pradesh “who will work to provide coaching to players for national and international competitions.”
“We will also address the work of providing them with fellowship and a good environment,” he added.
As per an official statement issued by Prime Minister’s Office, the university is established at Salawa and Kaili villages of Sardhana town in Meerut at an estimated cost of about Rs 700 crore.
ANI said in a report that one of the key areas of focus for the prime minister is inculcating sporting culture and establishing world-class sporting infrastructure in all parts of the country. The establishment of Major Dhyan Chand Sports University at Meerut will be a major step towards fulfilling this vision, PMO said.
The Sports University will be equipped with modern and state-of-the-art sports infrastructure including synthetic Hockey ground, Football ground, Basketball, Volleyball, Handball, Kabaddi ground, Lawn tennis court, Gymnasium hall, Synthetic running stadium, Swimming pool, Multipurpose hall, and a Cycling Velodrome.
It will also house facilities for Shooting, Squash, Gymnastics, Weightlifting, Archery, Canoeing, and Kayaking, among other facilities with the capacity of training 1080 sportspersons including 540 female and 540 male sportspersons.
Uttar Pradesh is slated to go to the Assembly polls early this year. In the 2017 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party bagged 312 seats out of the 403-seat Uttar Pradesh Assembly while Samajwadi Party (SP) bagged 47 seats, Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) won 19 and Congress could manage to win only seven seats, ANI said in a report.
With inputs from agencies
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