ITANAGAR, 27 Oct: Trying his hands at chess against a school student, Geetika Kasera, Chief Minister Pema Khandu got outfoxed and lost the game in mere 15 seconds.
Khandu, who declared the National Chess Championships – a part of the 34th National Sports Fest 2023-’24 – at the Abotani Vidya Niketan school in Pachin Colony near here on Friday, 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 championships for boys and girls in the U-14, U-17 and U-19 categories is being organised by the Arunachal Shiksha Vikas Samiti (ASVS), under the aegis of the Vidya Bharti Sports Council (VBSC), 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, representing 11 zones, are participating in the championship, which is being held for the first time in Arunachal Pradesh.
Four students of schools in Arunachal are in the competitions, representing the Northeast zone of Vidya Bharati.
VBSC, the sports wing of the Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan (VBAKSS), organises sports competitions in 35 events/disciplines every year, under the aegis of the SGFI. The champions of these disciplines take part in the National School Games competitions conducted by the SGFI at the national level, representing Vidya Bharati as a state.
Welcoming the young participants and officials to Arunachal, Khandu elaborated the geographical and cultural uniqueness of the state, and urged them to visit the state once they complete their education and get settled.
Expressing appreciation for the VBABSS for organising national-level sporting events for its schools in 34 different disciplines, Khandu suggested to the VBSC to “select a 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 his government, through its sports department, “is working in the same line, keeping in sight the next Asian Games.”
“India has emerged as a major sporting nation, going by the medal hauls during the recent Asian Games and Olympics,” he said, and acknowledged the sports policy adopted by the central government.
Stating that Arunachal today boasts of several state-of-the-art sporting facilities across the state, and that many more are coming up, the CM said, “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 in the pipeline.”
Khandu commended the ASVS, the state chapter of Vidya Bharati, in contributing to the growth of the education sector.
The samiti runs 27 schools in 10 districts of the state, including the Abotani Vidya Niketan in Pachin. It also runs nine Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas under the 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 10.
Earlier, Khandu inaugurated and laid the foundation for various infrastructure projects at the school, including one ‘Abotani Institute of Integrated Community Services’, in the presence of local MLA Techi Kaso, IMC Mayor Tame Phassang, ASVS president Bodong Yirang, Vidya Bharati northeast region organising secretary Dr Pawan Tiwari, organising committee chairman Tai Taga, and corporators. (CM’s PR Cell)
