The government is encouraging sports talents by building stadiums and open gyms in villages. Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said here on Sunday that efforts were being made to enhance, make efficient and competent sports talents in the state.

He said to strengthen the sports infrastructure in rural areas, sports grounds were being built in rural areas under the MGNREGA scheme. “The government is encouraging sports talents by making stadiums and open gyms in villages,” he said and added, “The young generation will shine and raise the name of their villages by improving the sports grounds of the villages and the sports talents of the villages will hoist the flag of India in the world.”

Maurya said stadiums under MGNREGA scheme, open gyms, sports grounds and parks were being built in villages and they are also being used.

Rural Development Commissioner GS Priyadarshi said that in view of the importance of sports, more parks and stadiums had been built than the target under MGNREGA. “Construction of playgrounds has been done and it is expected that by the end of the financial year, two times more playgrounds will be built than the target. In the Labour department’s budget of the current year 2022-23, the work of 8,226 playgrounds had been completed against the target of 5,516 playgrounds.

Under convergence with various departments, MGNREGA playgrounds are also being developed as MGNREGA parks, in which swings for children's entertainment and open gyms for teenagers are also being constructed, along with walking  tracks for the elderly persons. From the year 2018 till now, 21,168 playgrounds have been constructed in the state under the MGNREGA scheme – 1,236 in the year 2018-19, 2,242 in the year 19-20, 4,173 in the year 20-21, 5,291 in the year 21-22 and in 8,226 so far in 2,022-23.