https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Churu, the Sports Nursery of Rajasthan

Churu district in Rajasthan had recently received the PM’s Award for promoting excellence in sports and wellness under the Khelo India scheme. Despite being a backward district, Churu has surpassed all expectations when it comes to sports infrastructure and facilities. The district is a trailblazer when it comes to supporting and promoting women sports players.
Indian Masterminds Stories

Churu has carved out a place for itself as the nursery of sports in Rajasthan. In the past few years, the district has grown by leaps and bounds, both in terms of the availability of sports facilities as well as achievements earned by its sportspersons.

This was made quite clear to the nation by the Prime Minister himself. Churu won the Prime Minister Award, in 2021 for promoting excellence in sports and wellness under Khelo India Scheme. PM Modi gave away the prize to the District Magistrate of Churu Sidharth Sihag, IAS, on 21st April 2022. 

In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, DM Sidharth Sihag shared details about the same.

DM Sidharth Sihag receiving the Prime Minister’s Award

A THREE-TIERED SPORTS INFRASTRUCTURE

The district administration of Churu undertook a three-tiered development effort wherein the point of focus was to set up sports facilities at the district, block, and gram panchayat levels. 

Firstly, a center of excellence for multiple disciplines at the district level was created under which a class I synthetic athletic track was prepared in the district stadium. Additionally, a table tennis center, kabaddi center, archery center, badminton hall, and shooting facility were functional in the district stadium and were involved in the Khelo India scheme.

Secondly, multiple sporting centers were operationalized at different blocks, which were run both in government as well as private facilities, for comprehensive convergence of efforts of various stakeholders.

Thirdly, the district consistently improved its infrastructure, not just at the elite centers level, but also at the grassroots. There are 292 schools in the district where playground has been developed since 2019. This has been done using funds in convergence from various schemes such as Nrega, MP LAD, MLA LAD, SFC/FFC, and through public contribution. The district is steadily progressing towards its goal of providing playing fields and courts for basketball, volleyball, kabaddi, kho-kho, and running track in every gram panchayat.

SPORT ACHIEVEMENTS

The achievements in terms of medals and participation in national-level competitions are proof of the fact that Churu is punching above its weight. The district has the second-highest number of participants, after the capital Jaipur, who participated in various national-level games. The participation from Churu was higher than all other divisional headquarters and all the districts of the Bikaner division.

Even more remarkably, the medal tally of Churu is truly astonishing. Rajasthan won a total of 51 medals in individual events in Khelo India Games. Out of these, 10 medals were won by sportspersons from Churu, which is almost 20% of the total medal haul.

FEMALE PARTICIPATION

It has been a constant endeavor under the Khelo India scheme to push the female participation rate as much as possible and gradually bring it to par with the male participation rate. Churu has been a trailblazer in this regard.

The number of female athletes participating in the 2020 Khelo India games was 11 compared to just 6 in the previous version, which marks an increase of a whopping 83%. Furthermore, of the 20 individual medals won by female athletes from Rajasthan in the latest Khelo India games, 7 medals have been won by athletes from Churu, which is a phenomenal 34%. So, every third medal won by female athletes in Rajasthan was won by female athletes from Churu.

Similarly, when it comes to participation in other national-level competitions, of the 73 athletes who have represented Churu in the past 2 years, 35 were females, which is almost 50% of the total participation. 

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS

It has been a focus area of the Churu District Magistrate to promote rural and tribal games such as kabaddi, archery, etc. to enable a far greater segment of the population to attain fitness by engaging themselves in their traditional sports.

Further, the district has pioneered a ‘pay and reside model’, which is a scheme under which athletes are provided accommodation within the stadium at a nominal fee per month. This comes with the obvious advantage of letting the athlete focus exclusively on his sport by allowing him to stay on-site and be in continuous touch with the coach.

The sporting culture of the district has led to the emergence of Churu as a cradle for the armed forces, as every village boasts of sending multiple youths to the armed forces every year.

“We endeavor to reach out to the maximum number of youth and draw them into the orbit of sports. Towards this end, we have organized 11 Aakashwani programs with important personalities. We are blessed to have Khel Ratna awardee Devendra Jhajharia, and CWG Gold medallist Krishna Poonia as well as two Droncharya Awardees Virender Poonia and Anoop Kumar in the district, who serve as inspiration for the youth,” Mr. Sihag said.

Even though the district lags in many human development indicators such as literacy rate, child immunization, malnourishment, stunting among children, and anemia among girls, it is proving to be a worthy legacy of the Khelo India program and living up to the hope that a brilliant sporting culture can be built even while struggling to overcome various human development indicators.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Indian Forest Services IFS officer
From Forests to Boardrooms: IFS Arun Prasad Resigns from Chhattisgarh Cadre, Amid Buzz of Corporate Shift - Know More About Him
GAIL India
GAIL Achieves Major Infrastructure Milestone: Dabhol LNG Terminal Now an All-Weather Port
coal-India limited
Coal India Signs MoU with Indian Port Rail & Ropeway Corporation to Boost Rail Infrastructure - Details Inside
International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS)
Historic First: IAS Officer V. Srinivas Elected President of IIAS, Defeats Austria’s Nominee in Landmark Vote - Know More About It
UPSC Latest IAS IPS IFS
Puja Khedkar Impact: UPSC’s New Aadhaar-Enabled Portal Sees Overwhelming Response, 92% Applicants Opt for Biometric Authentication
Odisha govt_resized
Odisha: 1 IPS & 1 OPS Officer Transferred, 2 Districts Get New SP, Manoj Kumar Rout Made SP, Bhadrak
Karnataka-govt-announces-state-wide-close-down-for-14-days
RCB Felicitation Stampede Fallout: 5 Senior Officers Suspended, IPS Seemanth Singh Appointed New Bengaluru Police Commissioner
NALCO
NALCO Refutes Reports of Capex Deferral, Confirms Rs 30,000 Crore Smelter Expansion is on Track - Know the Matter
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Monika Singh
Monika Singh’s Life Beyond the Bureaucracy | Video Interview 
IAS Tushar G Nikhare
Modernising Governance: A Digital Transformation in Gangtok
IMG-20250523-WA0036
Abhishek Singh's SECRET: Vipassana, Anthropology & Smart Answer Writing | Video Interview 
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Divyanshu Pal Nagar IFS
5 Years, 5 Mains, 4 Interviews: How Divyanshu Pal Nagar Stumbled in CSE, Triumphed in IFS - A Lesson for Every Aspirant
Divyanshu Pal Nagar’s inspiring five-year UPSC journey shows how perseverance, disciplined self-study,...
ANUBHAV SINGH UPSC IFS 2024
9 Years, 8 Attempts, 7 Failures: How Anubhav Singh Cracked UPSC IFS 2024 with AIR 3 Against All Odds | Exclusive
Anubhav Singh’s inspiring journey to UPSC IFS Rank 3 showcases relentless perseverance, strategic preparation,...
Jogender Sihag
“I Cleared UPSC, But My Grandfather isn’t Here to Hear it,” Jogender Sihag, AIR 521, UPSC CSE 2024
"Life is short; make the most of it, whether in civil service or any other field. Just have a clear vision...
Social Media
Tiger jump Sundarban
Stunning Viral Video Shows Royal Bengal Tiger Making Spectacular 30-Foot Leap Across River in Sunderbans - See It Here
Retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Susanta Nanda shared the clip online, which quickly went...
shubham kumar ias marriage
IAS Topper Weds BPSC Topper: Shubham Kumar Marries IRS Officer Priyangi Mehta in Patna; Wedding Video Goes Viral
Topper Couple Alert: Shubham Kumar, Priyangi Mehta’s Wedding Grabs Spotlight in Bihar
parveen kaswan elephant
Elephant Outsmarts Electric Fence! IFS Parveen Kaswan Shares Incredible Video!
In the now-viral 51-second clip, the intelligent giant approaches a wooden pole supporting high-voltage...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Indian Forest Services IFS officer
From Forests to Boardrooms: IFS Arun Prasad Resigns from Chhattisgarh Cadre, Amid Buzz of Corporate Shift - Know More About Him
GAIL India
GAIL Achieves Major Infrastructure Milestone: Dabhol LNG Terminal Now an All-Weather Port
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Monika Singh
IAS Tushar G Nikhare
IMG-20250523-WA0036
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT