Second Phase of Sansad Khel Mahakumbh 2022-23 in Basti District | Uttar Pradesh | 19 Jan 2023

Why In News?

• On January 18, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the second phase of Sansad Khel Mahakumbh 2022-23 held in Basti district of Uttar Pradesh via video conferencing.

Key points

• During this Khel Mahakumbh, various competitions are organized in both indoor and outdoor games like Wrestling, Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, Basketball, Football, Hockey, Volleyball, Handball, Chess, Carrom, Badminton, Table Tennis etc. Apart from these, competitions like Essay Writing, Painting, Rangoli making are also organized.
• The first phase of the Khel Mahakumbh was held from December 10 to 16, 2022 and the second phase of the Khel Mahakumbh is scheduled from January 18 to 28, 2023.
• This MP Sports Mahakumbh is being organized by Basti district MP Harish Dwivedi since 2021 . Khel Mahakumbh is a unique initiative that provides an opportunity and platform to the youth of the district and surrounding areas to showcase their sporting talent and motivate them to take up sports as a career option. It also seeks to instill discipline, teamwork, healthy competition, confidence and a sense of nationalism in the youth of the region.
• The Prime Minister appreciated the vastness of the Khel Mahakumbh and hoped that through such events, India's traditional expertise in sports will get a new dimension. Around 200 MPs have already organized such khel Mahakumbh in their respective constituencies.
• The Prime Minister said that the athletes who perform through these games are being selected for further training under the Sports Authority of India. Around 40,000 athletes are participating in the Khel Mahakumbh as compared to last year.
• The Prime Minister informed that financial assistance of Rs 50,000 per month is also being provided to 2500 athletes through Khelo India. About 500 Olympic potential athletes are being prepared under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). Keeping in mind the need for international training, some players have received assistance ranging from Rs 2.5 crore to Rs 7 crore.
• More than one thousand Khelo India District Centers are being set up across the country, out of which more than 750 centers have been completed. Geo-tagging of all sports grounds across the country is also being done so that players do not have any problem in taking training.
• He informed that the government has created a sports university in Manipur for the youth of the Northeast and another sports university is also being constructed in Meerut, (Uttar Pradesh).