PM Modi lays foundation stone of the Major Dhyan Chand Sports University

NEW DELHI: Prime minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the first sports university of Uttar Pradesh, which is to be named after a renowned Hockey player, Major Dhyan Chand. The university will be set up in Meerut.

“The sports university in UP will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, and will become the best sports university in the world,” said Dharmendra Pradhan, education minister.

आज प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी ने 'हॉकी के जादूगर' मेजर ध्यान चंद जी के नाम पर मेरठ में बनने वाली उत्तर प्रदेश के पहले खेल विश्वविद्यालय की आधारशिला रखी।

अत्याधुनिक सुविधाओं से युक्त, यह दुनिया के श्रेष्ठ खेल विश्विद्यालय के रूप में विकसित होगा। #खेलेगा_यूपी_बढ़ेगा_यूपी pic.twitter.com/ujGE1mnEln

— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) January 2, 2022

Earlier in India, sports was categorised as an extra-curricular activity. But now under the implementation of NEP 2020, sports schools will have a dedicated subject, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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“Sports have been given huge importance under the NEP 2020. It is now kept in the same category as science, commerce or other studies,” tweeted minister of state for education, Annapurna Devi.

जो नई नेशनल एजुकेशन पॉलिसी लागू हो रही है, उसमें भी खेल को प्राथमिकता दी गई है।

स्पोर्ट्स को अब उसी श्रेणी में रखा गया है, जैसे साईंस, कॉमर्स या दूसरी पढ़ाई हो।

पहले खेल को एक्स्ट्रा एक्टिविटी माना जाता था, लेकिन अब स्पोर्ट्स स्कूल में बाकायदा एक विषय होगा: PM @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/D7Dmn7AUIY

— Annapurna Devi (@Annapurna4BJP) January 2, 2022

Major Dhyan Chand Sports University will be established at Salawa and Kaili villages of Sardhana town in Meerut, with the capacity to train 1,080 sportspersons including 540 female and 540 male sportspersons and will cost around Rs 700 crore.

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The sports university will have synthetic hockey and football grounds, a ground for basketball, volleyball, handball and kabaddi, lawn tennis court, gymnasium hall, synthetic running stadium, swimming pool, multipurpose hall and a cycling velodrome. It will also have facilities for shooting, squash, gymnastics, weightlifting, archery, canoeing and kayaking among other facilities.

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