The State Government would enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for conduction of National Games 2018 on April 18, said the Minister of Forests and Sports Dinesh Aggarwal while interacting with media at Vidhan Sabha here on Friday.
Aggarwal claimed that the Government has made all the required preparation for the proposed MOU signing process for the national games. He, however, refused to divulge the details of the MOU and the name of the brand ambassador being considered for the event.
Aggarwal said that the State Government has decided to dedicate this year for improvement in sports in the rural areas and for this an elaborate calendar is being prepared by the department. “We would involve education and sports departments in creating an atmosphere of sports in the rural areas”, he said.
The minister said that Chief Minister Harish Rawat is taking keen interest in promoting sports in the State. He informed that in the financial year 2014-15, the State Government has spent an amount of Rs2.70 crore on rewarding the sports personalities of the State which is much higher than previous years.
Aggarwal said that the Government has provided sport kits to 2,500 sportsmen and handed over an amount of Rs47 lakh for purchasing equipment for sports clubs. He said that in the district tournaments more than 4,000 sportsmen participated and 7,000 players received training in the camps organised by the department.
The minister said that the Government has released Rs50 crore and Rs57 crore for construction of sports complexes in Raipur (Dehradun) and Haldwani respectively. He informed that Rs17.51 crore are earmarked for a mountaineering training institute named after Nain Singh Surveyor at Munsyari in Pithoragarh.
Aggarwal said that the State Government is seeking the help of Central Government to make this institute a centre of excellence for mountaineering. The department has also sanctioned Rs5 crore for construction of sports stadium at lelu village of Pithoragarh and Rs3.23 crore for expansion of Ransi stadium in Pauri Garhwal.
The minister listed many sanctions given by the Government for improvement in sports facilities in the various parts of the State as the testimony of Harish Rawat’s Government’s commitment towards sports.