Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], October 20 : Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya said that India is set to become one of the top ten performing countries in the world in the field of sports.
Speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of the upgraded SAI Golf Course at Kowdiar in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram, Mansukh Mandaviya said that the Olympics 2036 in India will nurture talent in the country. Minister stressed that healthy people will make a healthy society, healthy society will be a wealthy society. Sports will make people physically, mentally and culturally fit. Keeping this in mind, they will work out from the district level through the Khelo India programme, he said.
Union Minister expressed immense pride in the establishment of SAI National Golf Academy, the first of its kind in Kerala. The National Golf Academy is equipped with world-class facilities such as a nine-hole international-standard golf course, state-of-the-art fitness centre and modern recreational amenities, a government release said.
Inaugurating the upgraded SAI Golf Course at Kowdiar in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram, the Union Minister emphasized the significance of the Trivandrum Golf Club as a cherished community and a symbol of sporting excellence. The minister visited and examined the upgraded Golf Course after inauguration, and further explored the course by playing golf.
The upgraded golf course was established with the approval of the Ministry of Tourism in line with the Government of India's commitment to enhancing sporting infrastructure, on March 31, 2017. An allocation of Rs 9.27 crore was made to SAI's Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education (LNCPE), and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has completed this ambitious project, further elevating the club's standards to meet international benchmarks, the release mentioned.
Mansukh Mandaviya felicitated international athletes of SAI, Thiruvananthapuram, as part of the event. Suresh Gopi, Minister of State for Tourism and Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, presided over the function. While addressing the audience, MoS Gopi said that the Golf club and Tennis club of Trivandrum have brought real talents from the lowest strata of society.
Kerala Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan, Additional Secretary in Ministry of Tourism Suman Billa IAS and SAI TGC Secretary SN Raghuchandran Nair attended the event.