NE SPORTS BUREAU
VARANASI, SEPT 23
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday laid the foundation stone for the stadium in his Lok Sabha constituency. With this, Uttar Pradesh, which has two international stadiums in Lucknow and Kanpur, is set to get its third one in Varanasi by December 2025.
Speaking at foundation stone laying ceremony of International Cricket Stadium in Varanasi. It will help popularise sports and nurture sporting talent among youngsters. https://t.co/mcWhBvdTr7
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 23, 2023
- The stadium, which will accommodate 30,000 spectators, will be themed on Lord Shiva
- One place of Shiv Shakti is on the moon, while the other one is here in Kashi: PM
- Design of the International stadium in Kashi is dedicated to Lord Mahadev
- When sports infrastructure is built, it has a positive impact not only on nurturing young sporting talent but also augurs well for the local economy: Modi
- Now the mood of the nation is – Jo Khelega wo hi Khilega: PM
- Government moves with the athletes like a team member from school to the Olympics podium: Modi
- The expansion of sports infrastructure is essential for the development of a nation: PM
The modern international cricket stadium will be developed in Ganjari, Rajatalab, Varanasi at a cost of about Rs 450 crores and spread across an area of more than 30 acres. The Uttar Pradesh government spent Rs 121 crore to acquire the land and BCCI will spend Rs 330 crore for the construction.
PM Shri @narendramodi lays the foundation stone of International Cricket Stadium in Varanasi, UP https://t.co/DVwHlUqQMT
— BJP (@BJP4India) September 23, 2023
Sachin Tendulkar, Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev attended the ceremony along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. BCCIs’ key officials, including President Roger Binny, BCCI Vice-President Rajiv Shukla and BCCI secretary Jay Shah, were also present.
#WATCH | UP: Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets people as he arrives at the event venue, in Varanasi
PM will lay the foundation stone of the International Cricket Stadium here. pic.twitter.com/HSx7TzaCBw
— ANI (@ANI) September 23, 2023
The stadium, which will accommodate 30,000 spectators, will be themed on Lord Shiva. Some of its key features include crescent-shaped roof canopies, trident-shaped floodlights, gallery seating that resemble Varanasi’s ghat steps and metallic sheets on the facade shaped like Bilvipatra, a sacred plant offered to Lord Shiva.
“This stadium in the city of ‘Mahadev’ will be dedicated to ‘Mahadev’ himself. The sportspersons here will benefit from the construction of an international stadium in Kashi. This stadium will become the star of Purvanchal region,” the PM said while laying the stone.
“Good coaches and good coaching are equally important to encourage and hone new talent”, the Prime Minister emphasized as he informed that athletes who have won national and international accolades are encouraged to take up the role of coaches. In the last few years, the Prime Minister said that youth have been connected with various sports and games.
He said that new infrastructure will give new opportunities to the athletes from small towns and villages. He expressed happiness that the infrastructure created under Khelo India is benefitting girls.
He informed that under the new National Education Policy sports is treated as a proper subject rather than an extracurricular activity. First National Sports University was established in Manipur. In Uttar Pradesh too, he said, thousands of crore rupees are being spent for the expansion of sports infrastructure. He mentioned the expansion of a sports college in Gorakhpur and the establishment of Major Dhyan Chand University in Meerut.
“The expansion of sports infrastructure is essential for the development of a nation”, the Prime Minister emphasized as he noted its significance for the reputation of a country. He mentioned that several cities in the world are known for organizing global sporting events and stressed developing sports infrastructure in the country capable of hosting such global events. This stadium, the Prime Minister said, will be a witness to this resolution of development which will not merely be a structure of bricks and concrete but will also become a symbol of the future of India.
