Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that India had already emerged as a super economic power and now it was close to becoming super power in sports because of the emphasis the Narendra Modi government had given to promote sporting activities in the country.

“In the recent past, international sporting events are being organised in India. This was unheard of earlier. You talk about any sport and India is organising it at international level. The results of these activities are for everyone to see. Indian sport persons are winning international events and the medal tally is going up gradually,” Singh said while addressing the closing ceremony of a sports function of Vidya Bharti Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan here on Friday.

Singh said that earlier Japan had broken the supremacy of the western world in sports and it was followed by China but now India was emerging as a sports giant.

“Today, parents are also pushing their children towards sports because this government is able to link sports with vocation. Children know they can get jobs in private or public sector on the basis of their performance in sports. This thinking has brought a big change in the people’s mindset,” he said.

Singh also hailed the contribution of Vidya Bharti, an educational arm of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, in promoting nationalism and Indian culture. He said it was mandatory to inculcate values in children.

“Knowledge is good but knowledge without value is meaningless,” he added.

“Indian culture talks about  Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam, meaning the world belongs to us. This feeling of ‘us’ is an intrinsic value of our culture and we should respect it,” the Union Home Minister said.

The three-day All-India schools national sports was held in Lucknow and 1,250 students took part in it.

The Union Home Minister also felicitated the winners.

Later, talking to reporters, Singh said that extremists who killed innocent people in Assam would not be spared.

“I have spoken to the Assam Chief Minister and have asked him to provide security to the Bengali-speaking people,” he said.

Earlier in the day, five people, all Bengali-speaking, were killed in extremists in Assam.