Shah inaugurates Khelo India Games in colourful ceremonies

Panchkula/Chandigarh: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday inaugurated the grand opening of Khelo India Youth Games-2021 from Panchkula today in the presence of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. The Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex was lit up with vibrant colorful lights during the inauguration ceremony.

The programme started with the National Anthem by the Army Band. During this, Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur attended the programme as a special guest.

Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex will witness the stamina and hardwork of the players to fetch medals for the next 10 days. Over 4,700 athletes including 2,262 girls will fight for gold and glory in 25 exciting sports including 5 traditional sports.

Popular Punjabi and Hindi Rapper Dilin Nair, popularly known as Raftaar, performed as a showstopper during the opening ceremony, enthralling the packed stadium. Raftaar enlivened the evening with his magical Khelo India anthem 'Ab Ki Baar Haryana', leaving everyone cheering.

The popular mascots of Khelo India Youth Games, Vijaya the Tiger and Jaya the Blackbuck danced in the arena. However, the loudest applause and enthusiasm was seen for Haryana's own mascot 'Dhaakad the Bull'. It was taken to the stadium on a tractor with the anthem 'Hum, Hum, Hum- Khelo India'.

For the first time in the Khelo India Games, a state-wide torch relay was also organised by Haryana. The specially designed canters toured all the districts and promoted sports and encouraged children to take up sports. The flame was lit after a dramatic entry into the stadium, from where the torch relay was flagged off 25 days earlier. During this, the athletes took an Olympic style oath to respect and follow the rules of the game and vowed to keep the spirit of fair play.

While attending the opening ceremony of the fourth edition of the Khelo India Youth Games, Amit Shah also laid the foundation stone of three pivotal development projects costing Rs 2,336 crore.

The list of the projects includes two medical colleges in Yamunanagar and Kaithal districts to be constructed at a cost of Rs 1,942 crore. Besides this, the Union Home Minister also laid the foundation stone for the construction of raw water supply channel by Haryana to the 2,800 MW Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Pariyojana at an estimated cost of Rs 394 crore.