Gaya: Union micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Monday inaugurated the Sansad Jan Udyam Khel Mahotsav at Gandhi Maidan here, marking the launch of a multi-dimensional initiative aimed at promoting sports, youth engagement and entrepreneurship in the Gaya parliamentary constituency.The event aims to encourage sporting talent while simultaneously supporting entrepreneurship and the growth of MSMEs. A key attraction is the Vishwakarma Haat, which showcases traditional skills and crafts, offering artisans and micro-entrepreneurs a platform to display and market their products.As many as 12 sports disciplines are part of the festival, including kabaddi, kho-kho, table tennis, cricket, badminton, chess, basketball, volleyball, shooting and archery. The competitions, which began on Monday, will continue till Saturday and have seen enthusiastic participation from youth across rural and semi-urban pockets of the region. Cultural programmes and entrepreneurship-linked activities have also been scheduled to provide participants with a comprehensive and inclusive platform.Addressing the gathering, Manjhi said the event is an innovative effort to identify and nurture sporting talent at the grassroots level. He said the initiative aims to connect young people from villages and semi-urban areas with sports, help refine their abilities and provide them opportunities to compete at national and international levels. The programme, he added, aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of creating inspirational platforms that promote discipline, culture and self-reliance among youth.Manjhi also said that participation in sports helps keep young people away from negative influences and motivates them to contribute positively to nation-building.Speaking on prohibition and the women’s reservation bill, he said the govt’s decisions should not cause public inconvenience or economic losses to the state, and claimed that dissatisfaction among women over the reservation issue could politically benefit the NDA in the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections.
