Lucknow: Besides the schemes launched by the Yogi Adityanath government in the last four-and-a-half years to boost sports infrastructure, latest developments in the field have also come as a boon for budding sportspersons.
With Lucknow making it to the list of IPL teams, with RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group winning the bid for a whopping Rs 7,090 crore, sports has become a new source of soft power diplomacy for Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who sees it as the means to empower young generation.
According to officials, the state government is using sports tournaments (it hosted Junior Hockey Men’s World Cup, ITF tennis, Syed Modi International Badminton tournament) to increase UP’s influence and project it as a powerful and development-oriented state.
“The felicitation of Tokyo Olympic medalists and participants from UP by the Yogi government was also a step in the same direction,” an official told TOI.
After the grand felicitation function, the state government also announced its decision to adopt two sports, including wrestling.
The move would not only help in giving a fillip to the sport at the grass roots but would also help in providing a platform to budding players.
“UP government’s plan to lay down a network of stadiums in villages with special focus on rural pockets of all 822 blocks in the state will improve infrastructure and increase sporting activities. Even though the pace of construction of the stadium was slow, it has picked pace under the Yogi government,” an official said.
“As of now, total 81 stadiums are ready and 44 more are under construction,” he said.
The government has also given its go ahead to a new sports university in Meerut which will bolster infrastructure in the state.
“For now, a token amount of Rs 20 crore has been sanctioned by the state government. Land has been identified and handed over to the authorities concerned for construction of the university,” additional chief secretary, information, Navneet Sehgal said.
Officials said before 2017, UP was considered as a ‘BIMARU’ state but started moving on a progressive trajectory under the Yogi government in terms of industrialisation, investments, farmers and women welfare, besides cracking down on corruption..
They added that the state’s economy doubled from Rs 11 lakh crore to Rs 22 lakh crore in four-and-a-half years to become the second largest economy in the country due to which industries started showing confidence in the state.
Speaking on the new IPL team, cricket coach at KD Singh ‘Babu’ Stadium, Shantanu Srivastava, said: “With local IPL team, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium, which is one of the best stadiums in the world with a top-class drainage system and seating capacity of 55,000, will in all likelihood get to host at least nine matches.”
“Lucknow IPL team will give exposure to UP players and create new opportunities for them,” Shantanu said.