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Cricket stadium in Kashi to help foster growth, says Modi
The UP government said it has spent ₹121 crore to acquire the land for the stadium while the BCCI will spend ₹330 crore on its construction
Development of sports infrastructure on a large scale not only leaves a positive effect on sports but also on a region’s economy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi on Saturday. Addressing an event after laying the foundation stone of an international cricket stadium in Ganjari area in the city, the Prime Minister said his government was developing sports infrastructure in every corner, including remote areas, of the country.
“This stadium in the city of ‘Mahadev’ [Lord Shiva] will be dedicated to the lord himself. I am hopeful that sportspersons here will benefit from this stadium, which will be equipped with all modern-day amenities and sporting infrastructure,” Modi said at the event, which was also attended by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and a galaxy of cricket legends. “This stadium will emerge as the star of the Purvanchal region.”
Spread across over 30 acres, the international stadium — the third in the state after Kanpur and Lucknow — will be built near the Ring Road in Ganjari, Rajatalab area at an estimated cost of ₹450 crore and is likely to be completed by December 2025. The UP government said it has spent ₹121 crore to acquire the land for the stadium while the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will spend ₹330 crore on its construction.
“The continuing success stories that we are scripting in the world of sports today is a testament to the changing outlook towards it,” Modi said. “Our government is helping sportspersons at every level.”
Indian cricket legends, including Sachin Tendulkar and Ravi Shastri, BCCI president Roger Binny, vice-president Rajiv Shukla and secretary Jay Shah were also present on the occasion.
Earlier after reaching Varanasi, the Prime Minister addressed an all-women public meeting at Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, where he credited the women of the country for the passage of the women’s reservation bill recently in Parliament.
“Women’s leadership may be a modern system for the rest of the world, but we are the people who worship Mother Parvati and Ganga before Mahadev,” Modi said.
The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 was passed by both the Houses of Parliament in the recently concluded special session. The prime minister hoped that the legislation, which seeks to reserve 33% seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, would open new avenues for women’s development in the country. “I heartily congratulate you, the mothers and sisters of the country, for this achievement from the holy land of Kashi [the ancient name of Varanasi],” he added.
Over the last nine years, Modi said, his government has worked keeping the lives of women and their dreams at the centre. “We have also made a provision for giving houses in the name of women under the Prime Minister Awas Yojana. Today, house registration is being done in the name of thousands of women in Kashi,” he said. “This has also increased their importance in the family and the society.”
Modi also referred to India’s successful lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3, saying his visit to Varanasi came exactly a month after the momentous occasion.
“One place of Shiv Shakti is on the Moon, while the other one is here in Kashi,” he said, referring to point where the Vikram lander touched down on the surface of lunar south pole, becoming the first country to achieve the feat.
Modi also inaugurated 16 Atal Awasiya Vidyalayas (residential schools) built at a cost of ₹1,115 crore and participated in the concluding ceremony of Kashi Sansad Sanskritik Mahotsav.
“The people of Kashi know the most about Kashi. Here, every person, every family is the brand ambassador of Kashi in its true meaning. But it is also important that everyone is able to convey the information about Kashi effectively,” he said.
