Jaipur: As part of a mega-outreach effort ahead of the assembly polls, the Ashok Gehlot-led Rajasthan government will launch a sports program aimed at involving over 50 lakh people in rural and urban areas of the poll-bound state, officials said on Sunday.
Officials said the first edition of the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Olympic Games, held in August last year, received an overwhelming response, with nearly three million people participating. He said that riding on its success, the government decided to expand the reach of sports from rural to urban areas.
The ‘Rajiv Gandhi Rural and Urban Olympic Games’ will begin on June 23, the International Olympic Day, and conclude on August 29, the National Sports Day, officials said.
The government is planning to publicize its schemes
The government, through the mega event, plans to publicize the schemes and programs undertaken for the people during its five-year rule. This comes as the registration for the Games crossed the official target of 50 lakh. According to officials, around 55 lakh people have registered for the games.
Sports played in both rural and urban areas include tennis ball cricket, kabaddi, volleyball, football and kho kho. Meanwhile, there are sports that will be played exclusively in rural and urban areas. Officials pointed out that shooting ball and tug of war would be held in rural areas, while athletics and basketball would be exclusive to urban centres.
Over 54.70 lakh people registered for the sporting event
“Over 54.70 lakh people have registered for the upcoming Rajiv Gandhi Rural and Urban Olympic Games in Rajasthan, which is more than the target set by the government,” said an official. competition in the world.
Sports Department Secretary Naresh Kumar Thakral said that more than 42.28 lakh people have registered for rural sports while more than 12.43 lakh people have registered for urban sports.
He said, “These games will be organized at the gram panchayat and municipality level across the state. The enthusiasm among the participants for the games is high.”
He said that among the rural sports, maximum 12.69 lakh applicants have been registered for Kabaddi. Of these, 9.89 lakh are males and 2.80 lakh are females. Tennis Ball Cricket has received an overwhelming response in urban sports with 2.74 lakh people registering for it. He said that competitions would be organized at three levels in rural sports and at four levels in urban sports.
Assembly elections are due in Rajasthan later this year, in which the Congress wants to retain power while the BJP wants to oust the Ashok Gehlot government.
(With PTI inputs)
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