Sports grounds to be developed in186 more panchayats in Patna dist

Patna: To promote sports and strengthen rural infrastructure, playgrounds are being developed in panchayats across Patna district. Under the second phase of the initiative, sports grounds will be constructed in 186 panchayats. The process of land identification has been expedited and necessary directions have been issued to officials.

Letters have been sent to all circle officers and panchayat programme officers regarding land selection for the proposed sports grounds. Both officials will jointly identify the land and take a final decision, according to officials.

So far, land has been identified and no-objection certificates obtained in nine panchayats under the second phase. These include four panchayats in Barh block, one in Bihta block and four others.

District programme officer Vijay Kumar Singh said, “Around Rs 8 to 10 lakh will be spent on developing each playground. In the first phase, construction of playgrounds in 126 panchayats has already been completed. Construction under phase two will begin from July 1 under the ‘Viksit Bharat-G-Ram-G Yojana’. About 50 decimal of land will be required for each sports ground. Work will start soon in the nine panchayats where land is available, while land identification is ongoing in others.”

Patna district has a total of 314 panchayats, including 309 gram panchayats and five nagar panchayats.

In Dec 2024, the then CM Nitish Kumar launched an ambitious project to develop 6,659 sports grounds in 5,671 panchayats across the state. The project, estimated to cost Rs 638 crore, aims to provide modern sports facilities in rural areas and encourage greater participation in sports among youth.

“Earlier, the project was under MGNREGA, which is now renamed as Viksit Bharat-G-Ram-G Yojana. It would come into effect from July 1. At least two sports facility or a maximum of four would be available at each ground. The cost of each playground has also reduced. Earlier, the badminton and basketball court were planned to be of concrete. Now it would be turf,” Vijay said.

The playgrounds will feature facilities for football, basketball, volleyball, badminton, kabaddi and running tracks. Most of the 126 playgrounds developed in the first phase were built on school premises to maximise benefits for students.

So far, land was identified and NOCs obtained in nine panchayats in phase two. These include four panchayats in Barh block, one in Bihta block and four others.

District Programme Officer (DPO) Vijay Kumar Singh said, “Around Rs 8 to 10 lakh will be spent on developing each playground. In the first phase, construction of playgrounds in 126 panchayats has already been completed. Construction under phase two will begin from July 1 under the ‘Viksit Bharat-G-Ram-G Yojana’. About 50 decimal of land will be required for each sports ground. Work will start soon in the nine panchayats where land is available, while land identification is ongoing in others.”

There are currently a total of 314 panchayats in Patna district, including 309 gram and five nagar panchayats.

In Dec 2024, the then chief minister Nitish Kumar launched an ambitious project to develop 6,659 sports grounds in 5,671 panchayats across the state. The project, estimated to cost Rs 638 crore, aimed to provide modern sports facilities to rural areas and promote sports among the youth. Under the project, three types of sports grounds were planned to be developed — large, medium and small.

“Earlier, the project was under MNREGA, which is now renamed as Viksit Bharat-G-Ram-G Yojana. It would come into effect from July 1. At least two sports facility or a maximum of four would be available at each ground. The cost of each playground has also reduced. Earlier, the badminton and basketball court were planned to be of concrete. Now it would be turf,” the DPO said.

Labourers working on the construction will be paid under the new rules of the ‘Viksit Bharat-G-Ram-G Yojana’. The grounds will have facilities for football, basketball, volleyball, running tracks, badminton and kabaddi.

In the first phase, most of the 126 playgrounds were built on school land so that schoolchildren can benefit more from the facilities. These grounds are equipped with running tracks and facilities for football, basketball, volleyball, badminton and kabaddi.