Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 25 (ANI): In the last nine years a new era of sports started in India, which is not just about making India a big power in the field, but also about empowering society through the medium of sports, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi while inaugurating the Khelo India University Games on Thursday.

Addressing the gathering through video conferencing, the Prime Minister said, "The National Educational Policy has proposed to take sports as a subject where it will become a part of the curriculum, and the construction of the country's first National Sports University will further strengthen the cause."He further added that sports is now being viewed as an attractive profession and Khelo India Abhiyan has played a big role in that. "Our government has solved the decades-old problem of sportspersons. Today, the budget has been increased for the welfare of the players and after identifying the players, financial assistance is being given to them," PM Modi said.

The PM expressed his best wishes to the athletes competing in the Khelo India University Games and stated, "Being the MP of UP, I welcome all the players coming to UP. The organization of the Khelo India University Games will change the sports environment in the universities, and this sports festival will take the country to a new height."Stating that Uttar Pradesh has become a confluence of sporting talent today, the PM said, "All the players who have come to Khelo India have come from different states and different regions. Earlier, there used to be scams in sports and now there is a new atmosphere regarding sports in the whole country."The earlier governments only changed the names of the programs, and now the game is being taken to the next level. First, we started the Khelo India Games. Now the Khelo India Winters Games have also started, he added.

Praising the Yogi government, PM Modi said that excellent work is being done in UP for the development of sports. He expressed delight that the closing ceremony of the event will take place in Varanasi which is his constituency. Tournaments like Khelo India University Games help in developing team spirit and there will be a cultural exchange between players from different states.

Khelo India University Games begins with the 'resolution of best performance'The inauguration ceremony began with the depiction of a symbolic story based on the popular religious scripture of the country, the Ramayana. It showcased the rich Indian culture and tradition on a giant octagon-shaped screen that was suspended in the air 50 feet above the ground. Along with this, special attention was given to the saga depicting the 'Guru-shishya' tradition, which has an important place in life of Indians.

The Games' mascot, Jeetu: The Barasingha, a representation of pride, was also the center of attention during this time. People started to get excited as soon as Jeetu and the mascots of the previous University Games, Jai and Vijay, entered the field. Indian Olympian athlete Padma Shri Sudha Singh, Hockey Olympian Danish Mujtaba, Commonwealth Games medalist judoka Vijay Yadav and Indian hockey player Preeti Dubey lit the torch for the Games.

Well-known Sufi singer Kailash Kher enthused the people by singing the official anthem of Khelo India University Games-2022 Uttar Pradesh "Khelo India - Har Dil Mein Desh". Along with this, the players also took a pledge to give their best performance with the spirit of sportsmanship in this ten-day event. (ANI)