Traditional village sports, modern Olympic sports need equal attention, says new minister Kiran Rijju

Harpal Singh Bedi

May 31, 2019

New Delhi: Mr Kiren Rijiju who took over as the Minister of State (Independent charge) for the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports here on Friday indicated that there will not be any major change in the existing priorities and policies of the ministry at present.

Talking to media persons after taking over the charge, Mr Rijju was very careful in his comments “I cannot comment on the affairs of the ministry; I am yet to be briefed by my officers in terms of immediate requirement of jobs, policies vision, etc. But there is something called continuity.

“Good things from the past should be carried on and new things to be added, if they are good. Being a minister doesn’t mean everything; it is always a question of teamwork, which is the essence of any success,”

The new sports minister also hinted that that Khelo India — a pet project of former Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore — would continue and spread to more parts of the country after reviews.

“Once you start work, then the performance will be determined on the basis of how much you can give to the ministry and how much understanding you have.

“Both traditional sports in villages and modern Olympic sports need equal attention and support. Rathore is a good friend and I spoke to him just now. We are a team. After understanding the ministry, I will go ahead with the Khelo India or anything else in all parts of the country,” the minister opined

He was well aware of the challenges before his ministry with the Tokyo Olympics just over a year away.

He called the Olympics the pinnacle of world sports while maintaining that other competitions — Asian Games, Commonwealth and other major events including the National Games — were equally important.

However, he did not comment on participation policies for some of the qualifying events India is likely to host.

.He asserted that the MYAS was an important part of the government. “I feel this is one of the most important ministries where we can galvanise the youth, who are the power of the country.

In my earlier role (as MoS for Home) it was a different way of working; Here it will be completely different. This is a soft ministry and is more about youth and a fantastic opportunity to contribute to the youth of the country,” he said.

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