Urging the youth of the state to take sports as a way of life and aspire to achieve excellence in sporting fields, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday said that sports is a universal unifying factor through which qualities such as honesty and dedication can be imbibed.
The Chief Minister was speaking at the inaugural function of the Pub Kamrup at Baihata Chariali.
Sonowal said that good human beings committed to the cause of the society can be created through sports and parents and teachers have vital role to play in this regard by encouraging and motivating youngsters to take up sports in earnest.
“Confusion regarding sports hampering academic activities in students’ life must not be created in their minds and the students must be encouraged to take part in sports and cultural activities so that they can bring laurels to the state and the country in different fields,” he said.
Referring to the Dr. Bhupen Hazarika’s song “this world is a playground”, Sonowal said that playing sport helps in maintaining good health and self-confidence grows in a person who is in good health.
Camaraderie and universal brotherhood can be forged through sports and it can enable a person to contribute meaningfully to the society by becoming capable citizen, he said.
He said that provisions have been kept at this year’s budget to set up a Sports University in the state and for organizing panchayat level football tournaments all across the state through which talents from interior places will emerge.
Urging the youth to take advantage of the state government’s initiatives to build a skilled workforce by establishing 249 skill development centres in the state and by opening North East Skill Centre at Mangaldoi in cooperation with Singapore Government, the chief minister said that the youth must enable themselves to find employment opportunities by acquiring necessary skills.
He urged the students to plant ten tree saplings each and informed that the state government has been able to plant 4.5 crore trees till now from July last year when the campaign to plant ten crore trees was started.
“Planting trees for fruits, flowers and medicinal quality would help reduce the menace of pollution and also sustain the state’s ecology,” added the Chief Minister.
Saying that digital platforms have brought about a sea change in enabling the all sections of the society where farmers can get access to new markets for their produce, Sonowal called on the young students to work hard so that they can take advantage of the clean and transparent recruitment process of APSC and other government agencies.
The chief minister also announced of taking action for building an auditorium in the college.