Varanasi, Oct 20 (IANS): The youth in Varanasi expressed their happiness and gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the setting up of a new sports complex here. PM Modi on Sunday dedicated various development projects worth crores of rupees to the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh, including Kashi.
The Prime Minister also dedicated an international Sports Complex to the sportspersons, creating an enthusiasm among the youth.
Arjuna Awardee and Padma Shri recipient, Prashanti Singh, had urged PM Modi to set up a stadium, and now she expressed happiness that her demand has been fulfilled.
Hockey player Lalit Upadhyay, who represented the Indian National team in the Olympics, also thanked PM Modi for setting up this stadium in Varanasi.
He said that with the establishment of a new sports complex, the future of children will become bright and they will get more opportunities to make progress in sports.
"This has not only increased the enthusiasm for sports but will also play an important role in the development of Kashi," he added.
Lalit Upadhyay said, "The players are going to be benefitted hugely by getting such a big gift. First of all, every player needs a good infrastructure, which includes suitable fields and stadiums for playing the sport. The construction of this new sports complex will provide a platform for the players where they can develop their abilities in a better way. This sports complex will prove to be a valuable resource for all players, and will help them improve their game."
He said, "Varanasi is considered the centre of Purvanchal. Now it has become an important venue for sports. We all should be thankful for this gift given by Prime Minister Modi. Along with this, our Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has also taken several steps to encourage the players, such as provision of giving jobs on winning medals on the sports field. This has improved the sporting career of the players and given them the opportunity to progress in their game."
He further noted, "This is a golden era for players, especially for Uttar Pradesh and Purvanchal region. Now it depends on the players to improve their performance by doing hard work and understanding their responsibilities. As new opportunities arise, they should make the most of those."
Athlete Neelu Mishra said, “The recent changes in sports for women have truly shown a ray of hope. The inauguration of an international sports stadium in Purvanchal is an achievement that we had never even imagined. Due to the efforts of the government in the last 10 years, there have been many positive changes regarding women's safety and participation in sports. Earlier, girls were afraid to come to the playground, but now the situation has changed. Today girls are coming to the playground with confidence, without any fear. The construction of this new stadium is especially a gift for the girls who earlier found it difficult to venture out and practice due to lack of funds and security."
Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Khanna said, "The new gift that Prime Minister Modi has given to Kashi is not only important for the development of the city, but it is also a big step forward in connecting the youth towards sports. The investment he (PM Modi) has made to encourage air travel, sports, and tourism is worth more than Rs 6,000 crore. This makes it clear how much priority the government is giving to the young generation, especially for Varanasi, where special development projects worth Rs 3,500 crore have been launched. This is a big achievement."
Divya Singh, former captain of the Indian women's basketball team, said, "These facilities are very important for the youth and we are people of Banaras. We have always been playing with basic facilities only, but now I am very happy to see that special facilities are being provided for women as well. This place will give special opportunity to the youth."