J&K powerhouse of sporting talent, record 17.5 lakh youth showcase their talent in 1 year: LG Sinha

>JIM&WS first institute to achieve significant accomplishments

> Climbing the highest peaks is not an ordinary adventure

> Young enthusiasts to make protection of eco-system an integral part of this sport

> Contribution of youth must in building prosperous J&K for future generations

By: Sameer Showkin Lone

Pahalgam: Lt Governor Shri Manoj Sinha today said J&K has become a powerhouse of sporting talent  with a record 17.5 lakh youth got an opportunity to showcase their talent in various sports disciplines in the last one year.

Earlier, the participation in sports never crossed the 1 lakh mark and this year our aim is to achieve a record figure of 35 lakhs, he said.

Sinha said J&K has improved its ranking and moved to 16th place in the Khelo India Youth Games which concluded in Haryana recently.

“I am sure that J&K will be in the top ten in the next edition,” Sinha said in his welcome address at Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and Winter Sports.

The event was graced by union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is also the President of JIM&WS, in the 9th Executive Council and 4th General Body meeting of this prestigious institute.

Giving details, the LT Governor said with state-of-the-art Indoor and outdoor stadiums; 31 Khelo India Centers; provision of play fields and sports kits in every panchayat and providing maximum opportunities to promising sportspersons has made the UT of J&K has become a powerhouse of sporting talent and is moving towards achieving excellence in sports.

“J&K is marching ahead on the path of development, making socio-economic progress, and fulfilling the aspirations of the people. It is our commitment to reform every sector that affects the lives of common man,” he added.

In 2018-19, only 9,229 projects were completed. Subsequently, in 2020-21, 21,943 projects were completed. The FY 2021-22, we have achieved the historical milestone of completing 51,000 projects.

J&K has become one of the leading States/UTs in the healthcare sector.

“We have achieved tremendous progress in road connectivity. Earlier, only six km of road was constructed daily in Jammu and Kashmir, but today we are building 20 km of road every day. Recently, J&K has been ranked third in performance under PMGSY,” he said.

Sinha said his government has introduced e-governance to make governance process more transparent and citizen-friendly and in one year, J&K ranked at the top among the UTs and we will be number one across the country soon.

I hope that, in coming future, J&K would continue to prosper under the guidance of Prime Minister and Defence Minister, Sinha said.

While expressing his gratitude to the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji and Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for the revolutionary ‘AGNIPATH’ scheme which will give a new identity to the youth of the country, providing better future to them, Sinha termed it a historic step that will motivate the youth to serve the motherland and enhance the combat potential of our Armed Forces.

Sinha quoted an example stating “after the Everest summit, when a journalist asked the great mountaineer Edmund Hillary, what was the reason of this dangerous journey? Do you know how many people before you had lost their lives in the process of climbing this treacherous peak? Hillary looked at the journalist and said there was no particular reason but Everest was there and its existence was challenging the humanity.

Hillary’s answer would seem very simple, but deep inside was hidden the challenge of 70 years. Climbers had failed for 70 years in scaling Everest, so Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay accepted the challenge. The uncharted peak is a challenge and not only Everest, the other places of universe,  Moon, Mars are also in the reach of human spirits today.

Congratulating Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and Winter Sports on completing 39 years, the LG said since its inception in 1983, this institute has overcome many difficulties and challenges to carve a niche for itself in the field of adventure sports.

Not only trainees but trainers like Mahfooz Hajam have also made this institute proud with their remarkable achievements, he said.

Every reputed institute in India, along with fulfilling its objectives, has also made committed efforts to meet the aspirations of the society. Keeping this tradition alive, Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and Winter Sports is always ready to serve the people in the same spirit and is working shoulder to shoulder with the administration during natural calamities.

JIM&WS has also become the first institute in the country to achieve a significant accomplishment by completing winter skiing course in Sonmarg for the local and adventure sports lovers coming from all over the country.

Sinha extended heartiest congratulations to the Principal, Secretaries and Staff of the Institute for their efficient leadership.

The institute is making relentless efforts for promotion of adventure sports & mountaineering activities in the country and showing the way to other institutions.

He said climbing the highest peaks is not an ordinary adventure. It’s a journey, it’s a heroic deed and it’s a search in Mysterious Mountain to attain the unattainable.

“ I urge young enthusiasts to make protection of eco-system an integral part of this sport and contribute in building a better society, a prosperous UT for future generations. The highest peaks of Kargil are just seven hours away from here.  23 years ago our brave soldiers hoisted the tricolor on those inaccessible hills and fought till their last breath to protect the sovereignty and integrity of our great nation, Manoj Sinha said.

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