Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the country should keep on doing efforts to inspire youth to shine on the games field.
PM Modi's comments came after Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Neeraj Chopra on Saturday started off an ambitious outreach programme that will connect India's ace athletes with school children.
"This is a great initiative by @Neeraj_chopra1, to go among young students and motivate them on sports and fitness. Such efforts will increase curiosity towards sports and exercising," tweeted PM Modi.
In another tweet, the Prime Minister said: "Let us keep up the momentum and inspire our youth to shine on the games field." Neeraj Chopra, who played a variety of sport with the students and gave them tips on throwing the javelin, chose to address them about the importance of a balanced diet, fitness and sport.
A brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the outreach envisages interaction of all Olympians and Paralympians with students from 75 schools each in a span of two years to motivate the youngsters to have Santulit Ahaar' or a balanced diet and take on fitness activities. This initiative is being jointly organised by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
"When he hosted us after the Olympics, the Prime Minister shared his vision of a new, healthier and fitter India. I am happy to set the ball rolling in this special initiative of visiting schools and in my own way sharing some knowledge that can help the students and realise the Prime Minister's dream of India becoming a more sporting nation," Neeraj Chopra said, as stated in an official release.
Earlier, Neeraj Chopra was felicitated by the management of the Sanskardham Educational Society. He praised the work being done by the Society and lauded the commitment and dedication in empowering students to prepare for the future.
Tarundeep Rai (Archery), Sarthak Bhambhri (Athletics), Sushila Devi (Judo), KC Ganapathy and Varun Thakkar (Sailing) will be visiting schools in other parts of the country in the coming two months. Among the Paralympians, Avani Lekhara (Para Shooting), Bhavina Patel (Para Table Tennis) and Devendra Jhajharia (Para-Athletics) will lead the way in the initiative.
