Giving a clarion call for eradicating the scourge of drug from Punjab, Union minister Manish Tewari said participation in sports can act as deterrent against "dangerous temptations".
Addressing the concluding function of Kilaraipur Rural Olympics here last evening, Tewari recalled that he has been following the games for a long time.
"Wherever I have been, I have keenly followed these games with a strong sense of nostalgia," he said.
The minister said, such occasions and sports festivals inspire the youth to perform better.
"Such activities can act as deterrent against the dangerous temptations like the drug addiction as a number of youth have been falling prey to," the minister said.
Tewari announced Rs ten lakh for improving the games infrastructure and Rs five lakh for the village development from his discretionary fund.
Last year also Tewari had provided Rs 15 lakhs from his discretionary grants for the stadium.
He said that Kilaraipur games had not only become famous across the country, but also known world over for the sheer uniqueness and "unmatched display of inborn talent".
However, he regretted, this "robustness is being threatened by the scourge of drugs."
There is no reason that sportspersons and athletes coming from Punjab cannot perform at the international events, he said.
