New Delhi: One thousand Khelo India centres will be operational nationwide by August 15th, according to Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur. Out of these 1000 centres, he continued, 733 centres have already received approval. The Minister was responding to a discussion in the Lok Sabha regarding the need to promote sports in the nation and actions taken by the government in this regard.
Mr. Thakur claimed that India has performed better than in the past at both the Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo. He claimed that India had also done well at the Deaf Olympics. The Minister mentioned Khelo India and the efforts made by the government to alter public perceptions of sports. He claimed that the Khelo India games have provided amateur athletes a stage on which to perform in front of the entire country.
The focus, as per Mr. Thakur, is on enhancing sporting facilities. He reaffirmed that the government had not discriminated against para-athletes. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury of the Congress commented during the discussion that India has lagged behind other nations in terms of sports. He asserted that all political parties must reflect on how best to solve the areas where the nation is falling behind. He recommended raising the budgetary allotment for the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.