Itanagar : Trying his hands at chess against a school student Kumari Geetika Kasera, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu got outfoxed and lost the game in mere 15 seconds!
Khandu, who declared the National Chess Championship, a part of 34th National Sports Fest 2023-24 at the Abotani Vidya Niketan school this morning near here at Pachin Colony, said that chess is a beautiful game of strategy, intellect and competition and hailed the participants from across the country for taking up the game.
The championship for boys and girls for U-14, U-17 and U-19 categories is being organized by the Arunachal Shiksha Vikas Samiti (ASVS) under the aegis of the Vidya Bharti Sports Council, affiliated to the School Games Federation of India (SGFI).
Over 350 school students, 100 officials and escorts of Vidya Bharati affiliated schools from across the country are participating in the championship being held for the first time in Arunachal Pradesh, representing 11 zones (kshetras). Four students of schools in Arunachal Pradesh are in the competitions representing Purvottar Kshetra, the NE Zone of Vidya Bharati.
Vidya Bharati Sports Council (VBSC), the Sports Wing of Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan, organizes sports competitions in 35 events/disciplines every year, under the aegis of SGFI. The champions of these disciplines take part in the National School Games Competitions conducted by SGFI at national level, representing Vidya Bharati as a state.
Welcoming the young participants and officials to Arunachal Pradesh, Khandu elaborated on the geographical and cultural uniqueness of the state and urged them to visit the state once they complete their education and get settled.
Appreciating the Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan for organizing national level sporting events for its schools in 34 different disciplines, Khandu suggested the VBSC to select few disciplines with potential so that students can be groomed in that particular discipline to participate in international level events representing India.
He informed that the Arunachal Pradesh government through its department of sports is working in the same line keeping in sight the next Asian Games.
Khandu said that India has emerged as a major sporting nation going by the medal hauls during the recent Asian Games and Olympics and credited the sports policy adapted by the central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Under Modi’s Khelo India program, he said that Arunachal Pradesh has immensely benefitted and today can boast of several state-of-the-art sporting facilities across the state and many more are coming up.
“With these facilities we are able to host national level events in our state. In fact, we have already hosted several such events, and several are on pipeline,” he said.
Khandu appreciated the role of Arunachal Shiksha Vikas Samiti, the state chapter of Vidya Bharati established in 1994, in contributing in the growth of the education sector.
The Samiti runs 27 schools in 10 districts of the state including the Abotani Vidya Niketan at Pachin. It also runs nine Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVS) under PPP mode with the state government.
“Vidya Niketan Schools are doing excellent job for holistic development of children. I am told that the Abotani Vidya Niketan, Pachin, the first school established by the Samiti in Arunachal, is proposed to be upgraded from its present secondary level to higher secondary level. I assure government assistance in filling up infrastructural gaps for this upgradation. I also assure assistance and cooperation of the state government in other sectors for development of the school as required from time to time,” he announced.
Currently, 567 students are studying in the school from Nursery to Class X.
Earlier, Khandu inaugurated and laid foundation for various infra projects of the school including one Abotani Institute of Integrated Community Services (AIICS) in presence of local legislator Techi Kaso, Itanagar Mayor Tame Phassang, Arunachal Shiksha Vikas Samiti President Bodong Yirang, Vidya Bharati North East Region Organizing Secretary Dr Pawan Tiwari, Organizing Committee Chairman Tai Taga and Corporators.
