Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya and Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H. D. Kumaraswamy on Saturday laid the foundation stone for a ₹14 crore multi-purpose indoor sports complex in Mandya under the Khelo India scheme. The facility will come up at the campus of the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru at VC Farm in Mandya and is aimed at strengthening sports infrastructure and nurturing grassroots talent in the region.
Addressing the gathering, Mandaviya said the Khelo India initiative seeks to revive sporting culture at the grassroots level and transform India into a leading sporting nation. He noted that the sports complex had become possible through the efforts of Kumaraswamy and urged the youth of the district to build a vibrant sports culture in Mandya and produce more champions.
Mandaviya also highlighted Mandya’s contribution to Indian sports, recalling athletes such as Vikas Gowda and wheelchair tennis player K. P. Shilpa, whom he described as India’s top-ranked wheelchair tennis player bringing recognition to the country. He said the government led by Narendra Modi has significantly expanded the sports ecosystem over the past decade, with the latest Union Budget allocating ₹4,000 crore for sports infrastructure compared to ₹1,200 crore a decade ago.
During the programme, 388 persons with disabilities were given electric vehicles under CSR initiatives of Tata Consultancy Services and Steel Authority of India Limited. In addition, 500 desktops and 100 laptops donated by Infosys were handed over to government schools, while an ambulance donated by the Hinduja Group was presented to the Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences.
The event also witnessed an emotional moment when Kumaraswamy was moved while handing over electric vehicles to beneficiaries.
Earlier, the ministers were welcomed with a massive jaggery garland, a symbol of Mandya’s famed jaggery industry, during a grand procession to the venue.
