Ranju Devi of BA-I was declared the best athlete in the annual sports meet of the government college here on Monday. Chief parliamentary secretary, agriculture, Gurbachan Singh Babbehali, while addressing the students, said the SAD-BJP government was committed to promoting sports in the state. He said high-class sports infrastructure had been provided in the state at a cost of Rs. 150 crore.

Babbehali said that four new hockey stadiums at Bathinda, Faridkot, Mohali and Sports School, Ghudda, had been constructed at a cost of Rs.75 crore. He said that three sports stadiums at Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar had been provided the latest sports infrastructure at a cost of Rs.25 crore. "We have also built seven new multipurpose sports stadiums, including one at the government college here, at a cost of Rs. 50 crore," he added.

Babbehali said the state government had chalked out a Rs. 418-crore scheme to popularise Punjab's favourite game, kabaddi. He announced a grant of Rs. 25,000 from his discretionary quota of funds for the students who participated in the college sports meet.

The students participated in various races, cycle race, a pitcher-carrying race and tug-of-war events during the sports competitions. The students also presented bhangra at the end of the sports meet.