https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

With Mini Stadium in All Gram Panchayats, Rajasthan’s Pali District Promoting Sports Big Time

Pali district of Rajasthan will soon have a sports ground and a mini stadium in every gram panchayat. This is being done with the aim of promoting rural sporting talents. NREGA and sarpanch funds are being partly utilised for building sports infrastructure.
Indian Masterminds Stories

It is often seen that due to lack of playground, children cannot play sports, and this affects their overall fitness as well as their mental health. In the same way, due to the lack of running track in the villages, young people who want to join the army are seen running on the rough roads. It’s also a common sight to see village youth playing cricket on the lanes or on agricultural fields. But in one district in Rajasthan, the scene is different. In Pali district, model playground and mini stadium are being built in every gram panchayat, thanks to the 2012-batch IAS officer and Pali District Collector, Mr. Namit Mehta and his Khelo Pali initiative.

Indian Masterminds interacted with Mr. Mehta to get more details.

IAS officer Namit Mehta playing cricket at a gram panchayat’s ground

ALL PANCHAYATS TO HAVE MINI STADIUMS

The officer got posted here in January and soon after he started taking keen interest in promoting sports among the youth of the district.

Pali district has 341gram panchayats. In 10 panchayats, playground work has already been completed, in 80 panchayats, work is in progress, while in 150 panchayats, work is about to start. By 31 March 2023, all panchayats will have model playground and a mini stadium.

Running Track

KHELO PALI

Speaking to Indian Masterminds, Mr. Mehta said, “Model sports ground is a component within NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act). When I came here in January this year, I saw a sarpanch making a playground in his village. I thought if a sarpanch can do it, then why can’t it be done by us? So, we implemented that model in all gram panchayats by improvising a little.Model sports grounds will be built inside the biggest school of every gram panchayat headquarter.”

FUNDS USED FOR GOOD CAUSE

Under NREGA, some items like basketball poles, nets, etc., are not allowed. So,the officer motivated the sarpanches to buy this stuff from the funds that they get from the Finance Commission for development works.And as a result, sports grounds are being built in villages costing around 24 to 35 lakhs.

Basketball Court

“Believe me, these grounds are becoming so beautiful that when you go to rural areas, it makes your heart happy to see them. There are proper badminton courts, proper basketball grounds, running tracks, cricket grounds, etc.,” Mr. Mehta said.

MINI STADIUMS

He further informed that they are also building mini stadiums with a pavilion for shade. “All big programmes at the gram panchayat level can be held here,whether it is a function of national importance like 15 August or 26 January, or some sports or cultural programme.”

Inspecting a ground

VISION SUCCESSFUL

He also talked about the ambitious plan of the state government to hold Rural Olympics, the purpose of which is to provide children in rural areas a platform to show their talents in sports. “Now that we are building playgrounds in villages, these will go a long way in helping them prepare for such sports competitions.”

He added that the best part is they have not used any additional resources in this initiative,only utilised NREGA fund and sarpanch’s fund judiciously.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
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
Northern-Coalfields-Limited-NCL-Resized
NCL Signs MoU to Support Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities in Singrauli - All Details Inside
Ruchika Chauhan IAS
Leading By Example: Gwalior DC Ruchika Chauhan Arrives At Her Office Boarding An E-Rickshaw! Delivers A Strong Message On World Environment Day
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
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
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Monika Singh
IAS Tushar G Nikhare
IMG-20250523-WA0036
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT