Union Home Minister Amit Shah lauded the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in keeping Indian borders safe and taking sports in the country to new heights as he took part in the closing ceremony of 38th National games on Friday.
He said the Modi regime increased the sports budget from ₹800 crore to ₹3,800 crore in the last decade.
Today is the day when 40 of our jawans sacrificed their lives in Pulwama. After their sacrifice, Prime Minister Modi responded to the terrorists with air strikes inside Pakistan. This forced the world to change its perspective towards India and sent a message to the terrorists across the globe that they cannot meddle with Indian borders and its forces.
Today is the birth anniversary of BJP leader and former foreign minister of the country Sushma Swaraj. I extend my heartfelt tributes to her.
The home minister credited the prime minister for fostering a positive sporting environment in the country and informed about Centre’s efforts to develop sports infrastructure, setting up quality coaching system and ensuring a transparent selection process that enhanced India’s global sports reputation.
He affirmed that India’s sporting future is bright and that new records would be set continuously. Under the “Fit India” and “Khelo India” initiatives, PM Modi has encouraged youth to actively participate in sports, teaching them resilience and determination.
Devbhoomi became ‘khel bhumi’ not by merely organising the national games. Dhami promoted sports infrastructure in every part of the state. He improved Devbhumi Uttarakhand’s ranking from 21st to seventh position in the national games tally of the state. Winning players have made devbhumi as khel bhumi.
Shah appreciated Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and state Sports Minister Rekha Arya for successful organisation of the 38th national games with all good facilities. National Games were organised by the Uttarakhand government and facilities provided to the players are being appreciated in the whole country. The successful organisation of the games was difficult for a small state like Uttarakhand but it turned out to be a grand event under the leadership of Chief Minister Dhami and the state’s sports minister.”
Shah said, “16,000 players took part in almost 435 events. Some players won while others lost. Winning or losing have no meaning in the games. The message of the games is to instill passion to win and no disappointment in defeats.”
He said PM Modi took important steps to promote sports in India that resulted in the athletes regarding him as their “sports companion”. The Union home minister highlighted that India’s sports budget has increased from ₹800 crore in 2014 to ₹3,800 crores for 2025-26, enabling better sports infrastructure and fostering a hunger for victory.
Shah said India was prepared to host the 2036 Olympics and Uttarakhand’s athletes would make the country proud by winning medals.
He noted that under CM Dhami’s leadership, the 38th National Games implemented eco-friendly practices. Special plantation drive was carried out to honour athletes and several new national records were created during the event, raising hopes for India’s success in international events. He announced that the National Games torch would now pass from Uttarakhand to Meghalaya, where Chief Minister Conrad Sangma plans to organise it across all north eastern states.
Speaking on the occasion, Uttarakhand CM Dhami said, “National Games in the state had a theme, ‘Green Games’, promoting minimal plastic use and utilising only solar energy. The medals were made from e-waste, and sports kits were crafted from recycled materials. Electric vehicles were used for transportation, and a 2.77-hectare “Sports Forest” was established, where Rudraksha trees were planted in the name of medal-winning athletes.”