Panchayat resources to merge with sports scouting talents: Aiyer

Kolkata, Apr 03 (UNI) In a bid to encourage children in sporting activities ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, the Centre has decided to start a ''Comprehensive Panchayat Khel Khud Abhiyan'' across the country.

Disclosing this Union Minister for Panchayat and Sport and Youth Affairs Manishankar Aiyer said here today at least 40 lakh children from rural India would be included in the programme.

This is part of our endeavour to encourage children to take up sporting activities in all seriousness, before the Delhi Commonwealth Games, he said a seminar.

The Centre was also laying stress on improving sports infrastructure in remote areas of the country including the North East.

''If you look at soccer you see that a small state like Sikkim has three players in the national team, but new talents are not coming out of big states. We want to tap the hitherto unexplored human resources,'' he said.

The seminar ''Adventure Sports in Youth Development'' was organised by Sea Explorers' Institute of India.

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