( Union Sports & Youth Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju)
Speed Post News Network
New Delhi : Union Sports & Youth Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju inaugurated Khelo India State Centre of Excellence (KISCE) for Rowing discipline at the Jammu & Kashmir Sports Council Water Sports Academy at Srinagar on April 10, 2021. He was joined by Manoj Sinha, Lt. Governor, J&K, Farooq Khan, Advisor to LG of J&K, and Alok Kumar, Secretary, Youth Services, J&K, for the ceremony at Nehru Park in Dal Lake, Srinagar. Rijiju had announced earlier this year during the Khelo India Winter Games that the Union Sports Ministry would open a state-of-the-art water sports facility in Srinagar.
“It’s a pleasure to come at the Dal Lake to change the lives of the young sportspersons here. There is a lot of potential and we from the Sports Ministry and J&K Council are doing our best to help the youngsters here. Our Prime Minister Sh Narendra Modi has a lot of plans in mind for Jammu & Kashmir. This will be a great opportunity for our future champions,” Rijiju said.
Rijiju also announced a host of new competitions at the Valley and mentioned that the J&K Council are doing their best to make the Water Sports facility in Srinagar one of the best in the world. “I am so happy that Manoj Sinha ji and his team are doing their best to make the Water Sports facility one of the best in the world. From this year onwards, we will start a Khelo India Women’s football league here and all kinds of support will be given by the Sports Ministry. In October-November, we will organise a marathon competition as well in Pahalgam,” Rijiju added, according to a PIB release.
At present, the Khelo India State Centre of Excellence at J&K Sports Council Water Sports Academy at Srinagar will focus in the sports discipline of Rowing. They will be provided a first-time grant of Rs 145.16 lakh and an annual recurring grant of Rs 96.17 lakh. This is one of the two KISCEs from Jammu & Kashmir with the Maulana Azad Stadium for Fencing discipline in Jammu being the other. A consolidated amount of Rs 5.08 crores have been approved for the 2 centres in Jammu & Kashmir. At present, there are 24 KISCEs across 23 States and Union Territories and each of them focuses on Olympics sports discipline.