Minister Nara Lokesh urges Centre to help build Sports City in Andhra Pradesh

VIJAYAWADA: Minister for HRD and IT Nara Lokesh urged Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, and Labour and Employment Mansukh Mandaviya to extend support to Andhra Pradesh in the construction of Sports City of global standards in Capital Amaravati.
As part of his two-day visit to New Delhi, Lokesh met Mandaviya on Thursday. Informing that the Amaravati Capital works are going on at a brisk pace, he sought the support of the Sports Ministry in the construction of the Sports City.
The Andhra Pradesh government is giving top priority to sports. The main objective behind the construction of the Sports City is to provide world class training facilities to athletes to enable them to compete in the sports events at the national and international level, he said.
Lokesh also urged the Centre to hand hold the AP government in the development of sports from the village level. He appealed to the Sports Ministry to set up a Centre of Excellence for athletics, archery and weightlifting at Acharya Nagarjuna University, and the Centre of Excellence for Hockey and Shooting at the Kakinada Sports Authority Grounds.
The AP government has submitted 39 projects worth Rs 341.57 crore under the Khelo India scheme for the development of sports infrastructure in the State, he said, urging the Centre to clear the proposals at the earliest. He also sought the setting up of the Sports Authority of India regional centre in Tirupati.
The Centre should establish Khelo India centres in all the 26 districts in AP to promote sports in a big way, and cooperate for the development of ESI Hospital in the State. The Centre should issue railway concession passes to encourage sportspersons across the country, he said.
Responding positively to the appeals of Lokesh, Mandaviya promised to extend the Centre's full cooperation to make Andhra Pradesh a sports hub, besides expanding the ESI hospital services.

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