Governor Bandaru Dattatreya said that today sports are no longer limited to the sports sector only, but are becoming helpful in the economic development of the country and the state. Today, sports are part of the multi-billion rupees industry and businesses, which affect the economy.

The Governor said this while presiding over the closing ceremony of  Shimla Rural Cricket Gold Cup State Competition organized by Himachal Pradesh Youth and Students Welfare Association at Sunni Tehsil of Shimla district today.

He said that there is a lot of potential for development in the field of sports. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Fit India Movement to generate interest among youth in sports and encourage them towards sports. Central Government has also launched, Khelo India program to promote sports Both these programs are aimed at to connect the youth of the country with sports and all the youth should come forward and show their better abilities.

The Governor said that today cricket has emerged as the most popular sport in the nation and millions of youth are involved in the game of cricket in rural and urban areas. He congratulated the winning teams.

Earlier, the Governor presented the trophy and Rs one lakh as the first prize to the winning team Mashobra and  Rs. 50,000 to the runners up team Drishti.

President of Himachal Pradesh Youth and Students Welfare Association, Dr. Pramod Sharma welcomed the Governor on this occasion and introduced the teams. He said that about 90 teams participated in this competition which started on January 30, 2020.

He said that the purpose of organizing the competition was to encourage sports on the rural level so that youth could be motivated in right direction and to keep them away from social evil like drugs.

Pradhan Reyog Panchayat Khemraj, Shimla Rural BJP President Dinesh Thakur, General Secretary Himachal  Shiksha Samiti Dila Ram and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.