*Chhattisgarh’s 97 players secured first place and won gold medals*
*Kerala stood second with 38 gold and Madhya Pradesh stood third with 38 gold*
*Manu Bhaker attended the closing ceremony of the All India Sports Meet*
*Sports are important for personality development: Assembly Speaker Dr. Raman Singh*
*More than 2920 players from across the country participated*
*All India Forest Sports Competition concludes*
Raipur / Chhattisgarh became the overall champion by securing the first position in the All India Forest Sports Competition.
In the closing ceremony, Assembly Speaker Dr Raman Singh presented the trophy to the winning players. On this occasion, Governor Shri Ramen Deka congratulated and virtually wished the players. MP Shri Brijmohan Agarwal, MLAs Rajesh Munat, Purandar Mishra were present in the program.
In the competition, the players of Chhattisgarh performed brilliantly and achieved a record victory by winning 97 gold, 44 silver, 33 bronze medals with a total of 731 points and secured the first position. Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker also encouraged the players in the program. Kerala secured the second position in the competition with 38 gold, 37 silver, 27 bronze with total points of 389. Madhya Pradesh secured the third position with 38 gold, 27 silver and 26 bronze medals and secured total points 363.
Addressing the closing ceremony, Chhattisgarh Assembly Speaker Dr. Raman Singh emphasized the importance of sports and said that sports are important for personality development and congratulated all the players. Forest Minister Shri Kedar Kashyap, congratulated the officers and employees of the Forest Department for the success of the event. In the program, Uttarakhand Forest Minister Shri Subodh Uniyal announced that the upcoming All India Forest Sports Competition will held in Uttarakhand.
In the ceremony, Nodal Officer Mrs Shalini Raina handed over the flag of the competition to Uttarakhand Forest Minister Mr Subodh Uniyal. It is noteworthy that the All India Forest Sports Competition is being organized since 1992 and it was held for the third time in Chhattisgarh. This competition is based on the conservation of forests and from forest guards to department officials also participated in it.
In the ceremony, Forest Force Chief Mr Srinivas Rao said that this sports competition has been successfully organized under the guidance of Chief Minister Mr Vishnu Deo Sai and Forest Minister Mr Kedar Kashyap.
Players from different states praised the sportsmanship and hospitality. During the competition, the participants were introduced to the culture, tradition and folk songs and music of the state through cultural programs. The specialties of the state’s culture and food remained the center of attraction for everyone.
In the ceremony, Bollywood singer Suvarna Tiwari’s songs made the event a hit. Apart from this, a wonderful performance was given by the famous Bastar Band and Chhattisgarh’s folk tale Lorik Chanda. Chief Secretary Mr Amitabh Jain, Director General of Police Mr Ashok Juneja, Additional Chief Secretary Forest Mrs Richa Sharma, Central Forest Inspector General, Forest, Environment and Climate Change Mr KB Singh and Chhattisgarh Olympic Association President Mr Vikram Sisodia along with departmental officers and employees were present in the closing ceremony.
