Jharkhand To Set Up 30,000 Village-Level Clubs To Promote Sports, To Receive Rs 25,000 Each

The Jharkhand government will be setting up village-level clubs across the state to encourage individuals at the grass-root level.

Addressing the 11th Hockey India National Women's Sub-Junior tournament at Simdega on Wednesday, March 10, Chief Minister Hemant Soren said the clubs would come up in about 30,000 villages and would be funded by the government. Named after freedom fighters Sidhu Murmu and Kanhu Murmu, each club will be provided with ₹25,000.

Soren said the government had made special provisions in their budget this year to develop sports and tourism sectors.

Simdega, a remote and under-developed district of the Jharkhand, is a hockey hub. The district has given several national and international level hockey players. But it is only now that the region is hosting a national-level tournament, The Telegraph reported.

The CM also mentioned the AstroTurf stadium, which will be constructed in Simdega, with state-of-the-art facilities for the players. The stadium will be built on 6.5 acres of land and estimated to cost about ₹18.5 crores. The stadium will also have a hostel facility.

"Not only Simdega, but the sports department was also be working on a plan to provide the stadium in three other districts, Gumla, Khunti and Ranchi, and a centre of excellence for hockey in Ranchi," the minister added.

Apart from hockey, the government is planning to make provisions for volleyball and basketball courts. The department is working to provide AstroTurf in government schools to encourage the participation of boys and girls. "In the first phase, we have identified 15 schools in these districts where this will be done," he revealed.

The Simdega tournament will continue till March 18 and will see sub-junior women teams from 22 states. The quarter-finals will be played on March 15 and 16, the semi-final on March 16 and the final will be held on March 18.