Patna: Bihar’s minister for art, culture, and youth, Alok Ranjan Jha, has said that a full-fledged sports university will be operational by the end of the current fiscal year. Jha informed the media that the groundwork for the state’s first sports university was laid with the passage of the Bihar Sports University Bill last year and that the administrative and academic positions and those for support staff are being finalized. The vice-chancellor and pro-vice-chancellor of this institution would be nominated by the state government, not by the governor-cum-chancellor.
The minister said that the sports university being built in Rajgir would help Bihar become a “sporting power” state. After Gujarat, Punjab, Assam, Tamil Nadu, and Rajasthan, Bihar would be the sixth state in the country to have a full-fledged sports university.
“The university will be housed in the sprawling campus of the sports academy-cum-international stadium, which is being developed on more than 90 acres of land at an estimated cost of Rs 740 crore,” Jha said. Adding that more than 80% of the construction work has already been completed, the department has directed local officials to complete it as soon as possible.
The stadium, divided into six sections and can hold 40,000 people at a time, will host 25 different sports, including cricket, football, and swimming. It will also have a 1,500-seat auditorium, a sports library, a well-equipped hospital, a wellness center, a motivational center, sports boutiques, and other essential features.
“The sports academy has already set aside space and such like offices and lodging for officials, students, players, and coaches.” The stadium will also include an Olympic-sized swimming pool. The university will have access to all of the facilities created for the academy. “If more land is needed for the sports university’s growth, it would be purchased in Rajgir,” the minister stated.
“The players of the state will now have a better atmosphere and fundamental sports infrastructure thanks to the development of this university.” It’s worth noting that many outstanding Bihar players used to play for other states due to a lack of basic sports facilities. Players of various sports in the state will have greater facilities for preparation for the Olympics and other international competitions if they receive sufficient training. “The reservation will encourage more women to participate in sports and games because the university Act provides for a 33 percent reservation for women,” he said.
Former general secretary of the Patna Institution Students’ Union and former JD(U) MLC Ranbir Nandan praised the Nitish government’s attempts to construct a sports university in the state. they noted that the state’s young aged 18 to 25 account for 16 percent of the entire population. “If all existing institutions and colleges in the state formed better cooperation with the planned sports university, there would be no scarcity of well-trained sportsmen and athletes in the state,” he stated. “Bihar would play a big role in the country’s sporting landscape.”
