PM Modi in Meerut, lays foundation of Major Dhyan Chand Sports University

The Major Dhyan Chand Sports University has been planned with all the modern, state-of-the-art sports infrastructure – including a synthetic hockey ground, football ground, separate grounds for basketball, volleyball, handball, and kabaddi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday laid the foundation stone of the Major Dhyan Chand Sports University in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut, inaugurating a major developmental work of his government in the new year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (File Photo)

Addressing the public at the foundation-laying ceremony in Meerut, the Prime Minister congratulated everyone for welcoming in 2022 and said that it has been quite significant for him to visit Meerut at the beginning of the new year.

“Meerut is a center of our strength and culture,” said the Prime Minister. “It is the land of Jain tirthankaras and has shown us the strength of India ever since the time of the Indus valley civilisation.”

Also noting the fact that field hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, after who the sports university is named, was based out of Meerut, the Prime Minister said, “His [Major Dhyan Chand's] name has ‘dhyan’, which means focus, without which no one can gain success. The youth here will do well.” 

An official release by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has noted that the sports university is being established at an estimated cost of ₹700 crore at the Salawa and Kaili villages of the Sardhana town in Meerut. It will have the capacity of training 1,080 sportspersons, including 540 women and 540 men.

“This modern university would be one of the best of its types in the entire world,” Modi said. “Along with sporting facilities, it would also help in nurturing the careers of over 1,000 youth and turn them into successful sportspersons.”

The Major Dhyan Chand Sports University has been planned with all the modern, state-of-the-art sports infrastructure – including a synthetic hockey ground, football ground, separate grounds for basketball, volleyball, handball, and kabaddi.

It also includes a lawn tennis court, gymnasium hall, a synthetic running stadium, swimming pool, a multipurpose hall, and a cycling velodrome.

According to the government release, the university will also house facilities for shooting, squash, gymnastics, weightlifting, archery, canoeing, and kayaking, among other facilities.

Modi had earlier said that inculcating sporting culture and establishing a world-class sporting infrastructure in all parts of the country is one of the key areas of focus for his government. The establishment of the Major Dhyan Chand Sports University in the poll-bound state is expected to be a major step towards fulfilling this vision.