Pema Khandu: Arunachal To Provide Budgetary Support To Promote Sports Events

In order to keep youngsters away from drug abuse and to shape their character, Arunachal Pradesh Cheif Minister Pema Khandu said there will be a budgetary allocation for promoting games and sports events in the state.

 Khandu said the state government, from its next budget, will keep sufficient funds for organizing such events whilst attending the closing ceremony of the ‘Adi Sports Fest-2021’ at Pasighat, the headquarters of East Siang district

“We have immensely talented youths. We are committed to producing sportspersons who can compete at the top level and the sports department has been tasked to chalk out a roadmap,” the CM said. 

He praised the youth wing of the Adi Bane Kebang (ABK) for the ‘unique’ initiative of coming up with the concept of a sports festival and successfully conducting it grandly. All community-based organizations should follow ABK’s example he added. Khandu also appreciated the women’s wing of ABK, which has been at the forefront of the war against drug abuse in Adi-inhabited areas

In the state’s continuous fight against drug abuse, Khadu said that the government cannot fight alone against drugs and win, it will need the participation of the people to overcome the problem.

“Today’s youths are tomorrow’s leaders who will run the state. We have to nurture them with care and show them a proper path away from vices like drug abuse,” he said. 

Referring to rehabilitation centers, including the one at Pasighat, Khandu admitted the need to overhaul their infrastructure with proper facilities for inmates. He assured that the government will improve the infrastructure of these centers at the earliest.

 Adis are one of the most populous indigenous tribal communities of the state with various sub-tribes. The Adi belt comprises East Siang, Siang, Upper Siang, and parts of Lower Dibang Valley districts. Around 600 participants from across the Adi belt are participating in the first-ever Adi Sports Fest 2021.