Baghpat (UP), March 19 Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Education, Chaudhary Jayant Singh, laid the foundation stone of a state-of-the-art indoor wrestling stadium in this district of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday.
The stadium, to be built in Malkpur village of Baraut at a cost of around Rs 7.25 crore, will provide world-class facilities to local sports enthusiasts.
Addressing a gathering, Singh said that the soil of Malkpur has the potential to produce champions, noting that players from the village have made their mark at national and international levels.
He said the presence of three Arjuna awardees in the village is a matter of pride for the region.
The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader expressed confidence that the new stadium would provide better training facilities to wrestlers, enabling them to excel on the global stage.
He said that the project has taken nearly six years of sustained efforts to materialize and directed officials to ensure its timely completion.
Singh said the stadium would serve as a centre for sports development and not politics.
Referring to the ongoing police recruitment process in Uttar Pradesh, he said transparent and fair selection has strengthened the confidence of youngsters.
Earlier, in Pali village of Baghpat, the minister inaugurated the Chaudhary Ajit Singh Centre of Excellence for Design and Fashion Technology, built at a cost of about Rs 5 crore.
The centre aims to promote self-reliance by imparting skill training to youngsters and women.
Singh inspected the facility, interacted with trainees and wished them a bright future.
He said that artificial intelligence-based machines have also been installed at the institute and added that there is no complex admission process, with free training available to interested candidates.
Talking to the media over K C Tyagi quitting the JD(U), Singh said he would be welcomed if he decides to join the RLD on March 24, adding that talks have taken place.
The minister also visited Dhikauli village in Khekra and met the family of Subedar Major Sandeep Dhaka, who died due to cardiac arrest during a military operation in Jammu and Kashmir. Singh paid floral tributes to the deceased soldier.
The last rites of Dhaka, a resident of Dhikauli, were performed with full military honours in the presence of villagers and officials, sources said.