Over 6 lakh sportspersons have registered so far for the maiden
all-Assam mega sporting event, said Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The competitions of ‘Khel Maharan’ will be held in five disciplines
– athletics, football, volleyball, kabaddi and kho-kho – from November 1 to
January 10, he said.
Unveiling the jersey, logo and theme song for the event, the CM said
Khel Maharan is part of four similar programmes of Jan Bhagidari (people’s
involvement).
The other three programmes are Amrit Briksya Andolan, a mega
plantation drive which has concluded already, the ongoing Amrit Kalash Yatra
and soon-to-be launched Sanggaskritik Mahasangram on the cultural field.
“The Khel Maharan will be from the village-level to State-level.
District commissioners have already started work on organising it, in
consultation with experts and stakeholders,” said CM Himanta.
He said teams will be initially formed at the village level, with
the best players moving to the gaon panchayat/ward level teams.
The best players will then join the assembly constituency-level
teams before moving on to district-level teams for competing at the State-level.
The CM said the State-level competitions will be held in five to
six venues, and the matches will be in two categories – under-19 and above-19 –
for both males and females.
He said over six lakh players have already registered for various
disciplines and the government is expecting the figure to reach 12-13 lakh.
“This will be big platform for talent identification. It will also
enable us to engage our youth in a positive and constructive manner,” he added.
Recalling the war on drugs launched soon after his taking charge as
CM in 2021, CM Himanta said, “Our first war on drugs was through police action.
Now, we want to engage the youths in these positive activities and keep them
away from bad habits.”
He said customised jerseys for all 35 districts have been designed,
which will be used by the districts in all future events too.
He added that winners at all levels of the Khel Maharan will be
feted, with the State Government earmarking Rs 62 crore for the entire event.
PTI
