Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the inauguration of the 11th Khel Mahakumbh at Ahmedabad in Gujarat on March 12, 2022. (Photo/PIB)
Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 12, 2022, advised the youngsters against taking shortcuts in life and said that shortcut is always short-lived.
“There is only one mantra for success – ‘Long term planning, and continuous commitment’. Neither a victory can ever be our last stop nor a defeat,” he said after inaugurating 11th Khel Mahakumbh here.
PM Modi had started Khel Mahakumbh in 2010 as Gujarat Chief Minister. Then 13 lakh participants had participated in 16 sports. Now, over 45 lakh sportspersons have registered for the 11th Khel Mahakumbh.
He said earlier Indian sports scene was dominated by a few sports and indigenous sports were ignored.
“Sports were also infected by nepotism and lack of transparency in the selection of players was also a big factor. All the talent of the players was spent in battling the problems. Coming out of that vortex, the youth of India are touching the sky today,” he said.
The Prime Minister also pointed out the success of Indian players at international events like Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
PM Modi said India is working with a holistic approach for promoting sports in the country and Khelo India programme is its example.
“We started recognizing the talents of the country and giving them all necessary support. Despite having talent, our youth used to lag behind due to a lack of training. Today, better and better training facilities are being given to the players,” PM Modi pointed out.
Governor of Gujarat Acharya Devvrat and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel were among those present on the occasion. (PW News)
