Punjab News Daily

Mohali, May 4

Punjab’s villages are being put at the centre of a sweeping sports transformation, with Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann inaugurating 250 ‘Pendu Khed Maidans’ (rural sports grounds) equipped with world-class facilities and laying out an ambitious roadmap to develop 3,100 such grounds across the state by July 15. Declaring sports as a direct response to the challenge of drug abuse among youth, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government, led by CM Bhagwant Singh Mann, is not just building infrastructure but backing it with free training, professional coaches, and fully equipped grounds designed to produce athletes capable of competing at national and international levels.

The scale of investment underlines this shift, with the sports budget rising from under Rs 200 crore earlier to Rs 1,790 crore, alongside efforts to revive Punjab’s sporting legacy through the return of the Kila Raipur ‘Pind Olympics’. With Punjab also set to host the Asian Hockey Championship for the first time, the Bhagwant Mann government is signalling a clear intent to place the state firmly on the national and global sports map while driving development in every village from the same treasury that previous governments had claimed was empty.

After inaugurating 250 newly constructed Pendu Khed Maidans, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the AAP Government is undertaking a large-scale push to transform the state’s sports ecosystem, with a clear focus on steering youth away from drugs and channelising their energy into productive avenues. “Promotion of sports culture can be the most effective tool in the state government’s crusade against drugs. With the promotion of sports, the unbounded energy of the youth is being utilised for excelling in sports. The youth who are involved in sports have no time even to look at drugs because they are using all their might to excel in their respective fields,” he said.

He added, “This will go a long way in eliminating the curse of drugs from the state and making the youth an equal partner in socio-economic development.”

Detailing the масштаб of the initiative, the Chief Minister said, “With the objective of ensuring a healthy body and a sound mind, the Punjab government is developing 3,100 Pendu Khed Maidans equipped with modern facilities across the state in the first phase, at a cost of ₹1,250 crore. Out of these, 250 grounds are being dedicated to the public today, and all 3,100 will be dedicated by July 15.” He further outlined the phased rollout, stating, “250 grounds have been dedicated today, 500 will be dedicated on May 15, 250 on May 31, 500 on June 15, 1,000 on June 30 and 600 on July 15.”

Emphasising the role of these grounds in the anti-drug campaign, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “These Pendu Khed Maidans will play a revolutionary role in the ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’ campaign. They will encourage youth to stay away from substance abuse and help them achieve their dreams of winning medals at national and international levels. These grounds will act as a beacon of hope and opportunity for budding players and will promote sports culture in Punjab.”