Nine sports events organised under EK Bharat Shrestha Bharat in Jan 2020

Till January 31, 2020, the Department of Sports conducted Nineteen events across the country, with the participation of around 1200 players.

The Department of Sports organised Nine events in the month of January 2020 under the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Programme (EBSB) in various parts of the country to promote the spirit of National integration through sports. Championship events were organised in indigenous sports disciplines of Tug of War, Sqay, Kalarippayattu, Shooting ball and Olympic sport Handball for both Girls and Boys, with the unique concept of fielding Paired State teams. The winner Paired state team of Zonal championship qualify for the finals. Till January 31, 2020, the Department of Sports conducted Nineteen events across the country, with the participation of around 1200 players.

The players from all the participating paired States/UTs enjoyed playing these championship events with a unique concept of Joint teams of the Paired States, which helped in a better understanding of the culture and food habits of each other. Colorful inauguration and closing ceremony were performed for each of the events in which local children performed welcome songs and folk dances in colorful folk dresses.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had mooted the idea of a cultural connection between different regions during the Rashtriya Ekta Divas held in 2015. The broad objectives of Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat include celebrating the Unity in Diversity of our nation and promoting the spirit of national integration through engagement between all states and union territories.

An activity calendar for each pair is prepared through mutual consultation, paving the way for a year-long process of mutual engagement. The current pairings will continue till June this year. After the creation of the Union Territory of Ladakh, it has been paired along with Jammu and Kashmir with Tamil Nadu. Punjab has been paired with Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand with Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh with Kerala, Delhi with Sikkim, and Rajasthan with Assam.

(With Inputs from PIB)