SRINAGAR: The Minister for Education, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Sunday said that involvement in sports helps an individual in character building and prepares a person to utilize energy in a positive manner.
He said, sports not only helps in shaping overall personality but also helps in development of mind. By involving youth in different sports activities, Bukhari said, we can bring the youth, involved in drug menace, back on right track so that they can lead a better life afterwards.
The minister said that The Education Department has initiated different kinds of extracurricular activities in the schools and colleges for the overall development of students. “We want to impart value based education among our youth and want them to develop educationally, morally as well as physically,” Bukhari said.
The minister made these remarks during the final match of the Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Cricket Tournament which was organised by Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, Budgam at STC BSF Humhama where he was Chief Guest. Total of sixteen teams of Sikh community from Kashmir participated in the tournament. MLC Charanjeet Singh Khalsa and SSP Budgam, Tejinder Singh were specially invited as Guest of Honour. DIG (PSO), BSF Satish Chander, DIG (OPS) BSF Kashmir Frontier, Hari Lal, Chief Engineer, PDD, S Daljeet Singh and MD Peaks Auto Pvt Ltd, S Baldev Singh were also present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Bukhari said that it’s a good step for the youth of the Valley to get them involved in such tournaments.
“By participating in such events our children will get exposure to compete at national and international level,” he said. He further said that sports activities through these tournaments inculcate the spirit of healthy competition among the players who try their best to excel in the sports arena. This type of an opportunity provides a strong platform for emerging young players. Bukhari congratulated BSF and Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee Budgam for organising the tournament and extended his felicitations to all the 16 teams who participated in the tournament. Later, the minister also distributed trophies and cash prizes among the players of winning team.