By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: BJP National President and Union Minister JP Nadda visited Bihar on Saturday, where Paralympic athletes were honoured as part of the Seva Pakhwada initiative at the BJP State Office. Among the 108 athletes recognised were Paris Paralympics medal winners Shailesh Kumar and Sharad Kumar, along with international medalists Gajendra Kumar, Amisha Prakash, Sintu Kumar, Mohammad Shamim, and Mansi. Paralympic observer Shivaji Kumar was also honoured at the ceremony.
During the event, JP Nadda highlighted the emphasis Prime Minister Narendra Modi has placed on sports since taking office, not only prioritising the Olympics but also bringing the Paralympics into the mainstream. Nadda remarked that the Prime Minister meets athletes before they leave for competitions and upon their return, offering them encouragement. He noted the significant improvement in India’s sports performance, with the number of gold medals increasing from just one or two in the past.
Nadda also mentioned that the Prime Minister has tripled the sports budget from ₹1,000 crore to ₹3,342 crore. “The nation is proud of the achievements of our Paralympic athletes, and I congratulate each of you, wishing you a bright future,” he said.
He further emphasised the government’s commitment to providing proper training facilities for athletes, pointing out that 1,000 Khelo India centres have been established across the country, with 715 already operational. Nadda assured the players of continued support.
Union Minister Nityanand Rai, Bihar Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, and Bihar in-charge Vinod Tawde, along with other prominent leaders, were also present at the event.
Additionally, JP Nadda and BJP State President Dr. Dilip Jaiswal welcomed 20 renowned athletes into the BJP as members. Notable inductees include Dheeraj Kumar, Rahul Dayal, Deepak Sharma, Rajiv Kumar, Deepak Kumar, Amit Kumar Singh, Shailesh Kumar, Vinod Kumar, Shyamji Pandey, Ajay Kumar, Jitendra Kumar, Aman Kumar Gupta, Ramniwas, Deepu Kumar, Jitendra Kumar Yadav, Yogesh Paswan, Ankit Kumar, international volleyball player Santosh Kumar Mishra, and international cricketer Dharmendra Kumar.
