The Odisha Cabinet on Friday approved a new project for construction of block level stadiums in all the 314 blocks of the state for the development of sports infrastructure at the grassroots level.
The stadiums will be built within 5 km of the block headquarters. Indoor halls will be arranged for hockey, cricket and football games. An expenditure of Rs 4,124 crore has been sanctioned for this. The work will be completed in 5 years. According to this decision, each block-level stadium will be constructed on 8 to 10 acres of land, and it will have football or cricket fields, throw and jump fields, athletic tracks, volleyball, kho kho, kabaddi courts, badminton, table tennis etc., along with indoor halls, informed Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
Briefing the media about the decision of the cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister said that the Odisha state cabinet has taken an important decision to strengthen the sports infrastructure at the grassroots level. A new scheme has been approved for the construction of block-level stadiums in all 314 blocks of the state. This groundbreaking initiative will promote healthy living and help establish a strong sports environment across Odisha. The aim of this project is to remove the bottleneck in the rural sports infrastructure to create important international standard sportspersons. Its aim is to create better infrastructure, especially at the block level, where the infrastructure is underdeveloped.
Realizing the need to bridge this gap, the state government has set several goals, including providing opportunities for sportspersons, promoting local talent and organizing more sports competitions at the grassroots level.
The Odisha government is committed to focusing on almost all major sports disciplines. Along with promoting competitive sports, these facilities will encourage the rural youth to participate in physical activities and will have a positive impact on their overall development and long-term mental and physical well-being.
Odisha is committed to being recognized as an emerging sports hub of India and to establishing a sports culture in the country. This goal can be achieved through the “Construction of Block Level Stadiums in the State” project.
