Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday, November 11 opened 1,000 more 'Pendu Khed Maidan' — model village sports grounds — across Punjab, taking the total inaugurated so far to 1,764 out of the targeted 3,100, the IANS wire reported. The dedication ceremony was held at Shahpur village in the Amloh Assembly constituency of Fatehgarh Sahib district, and Cabinet Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond and other dignitaries were present, according to the Punjab government release.

Source: IANS via Dailyworld

Mann said Punjab is laying the foundation to emerge as a hub of international sporting talent, with every sports ground being equipped with football, hockey, volleyball and cricket kits. Channelising the energy of Punjab's youth towards sports is essential to protect them from the drug menace and give them a constructive direction, he said, adding that the grounds are an important part of the government's 'Yudh Nashean Virudh' campaign against drugs.

Source: Punjab government release via India News Calling

Third phase of the rollout

The Chief Minister said 255 sports grounds were dedicated in the first phase on May 4 and another 509 in the second phase on August 24 — 764 in all — and Wednesday's 1,000 grounds mark the third phase of the initiative. The government release said Rs 1,500 crore has been committed specifically for developing the 3,100 modern grounds.

What each ground carries

According to the government release, the grounds are being developed with six-foot-high chain-link boundary fencing, plantation along the boundaries, six-foot-wide walking tracks with footlights, separate toilets for men and women, storerooms for kits and equipment, and submersible pumps and hydrants for watering. Dedicated children's play areas with swings, ladder bars and slides are included, high-mast lights will allow play after dark, and selected grounds will also have six-lane, 400-metre running tracks.

On equipment, Mann said every village will be provided with football and hockey goalposts, volleyball poles and two nets, three volleyballs, three footballs and cricket kits, along with 36 pairs of football studs, so that children do not bear the cost of buying kits. Football and volleyball coaches will be deployed at the grounds to provide free coaching, he said. Maintenance will rest with village-level committees comprising the Sarpanch, the Youth Club president, the concerned Junior Engineer and the Panchayat Secretary, with the Gram Panchayat also nominating a woman member or a sportsperson.

The wider sports push, as the government states it

The release said the government has allocated a sports budget of Rs 1,744 crore, is developing 600 rural gyms of which 500 are complete, and has distributed Rs 135 crore in prize money to 40,415 sportspersons since 2022 under the 2023 Sports Policy, with Rs 15 lakh assistance for Olympic preparation and Rs 8 lakh for Asian and Commonwealth Games preparation. These are the government's own figures, stated in its release.

Mann's 2027 pitch at the same event

Speaking at Fatehgarh Sahib the same day, Mann asserted — as his claim — that Punjab's development journey must continue under the AAP government in 2027, contrasting free electricity, healthcare and monthly assistance to women with what he described as decades of neglect under the Congress, Akali Dal and BJP, whom he called 'political deadwood'. He called leaders who frequently switch parties 'chameleons', jibed that an Akali Dal-BJP alliance would be rejected by voters, and described former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi's proposed cycle yatra as a 'political gimmick'. No response from the Congress, SAD or BJP to Wednesday's remarks was reported in the sources reviewed at the time of publishing.