- Sat Sharma asks to promote Indigenous Sports for healthy youth
JAMMU: To promote a healthy lifestyle, strengthen sports culture and encourage youth to stay away from drugs, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sports Cell organized Pandit Prem Nath Dogra Gold Cup Kabaddi Tournament at the Kabaddi Stadium inside MAM Stadium, Jammu, to mark the birth anniversary of Sher-e-Duggar Pt. Prem Nath Dogra. The initiative aimed to inspire young people to embrace sports for their own well-being, their families, society and the nation.
BJP J&K President and Rajya Sabha MP Sat Sharma (CA), who presented trophies to the winning and runner-up teams and medals to individual players, emphasized the need to revive India's traditional sporting heritage. He said that Kabaddi, a Swadeshi sport deeply rooted in India's cultural tradition, deserves greater encouragement and wider participation. He called for sustained efforts to develop sports infrastructure, identify talent and provide young people with opportunities to channel their energy into constructive activities.
Sat Sharma said that sports build discipline, teamwork, physical fitness and a spirit of healthy competition. He added that promoting sporting activities at the grassroots level could play an important role in keeping youth away from drugs and other harmful influences. Paying tribute to Pt. Prem Nath Dogra, he said the occasion was an opportunity to inspire the younger generation through positive initiatives that strengthen society and the nation.
MLA Jammu East Yudhvir Sethi, who inaugurated the tournament, announced a contribution of ₹15 lakh from his Constituency Development Fund (CDF) for further development of Kabaddi facilities at the stadium. He said that better infrastructure and regular sporting competitions would help local players showcase their talent and motivate more youth to adopt an active and healthy lifestyle.
MLA Ch. Vikram Randhawa also stressed the importance of promoting traditional Indian sports and creating more opportunities for young people to participate in organized sporting activities. He said that community-level tournaments could strengthen social bonds while encouraging discipline, fitness and a drug-free lifestyle.
The tournament, organized BJP Sports Cell led by its Convenor Kuldeep Gupta, featured three teams comprising former JMC councillors representing Jammu district led by Chander Mohan Gupta, Jammu East district led by Suneet Raina, and Jammu South district led by Narinder Singh. Following the league matches, Jammu district defeated Jammu South in the final. Jammu district lifted the winners' trophy, while Jammu South received the runner-up trophy.
J&K BJP Vice-President Priya Sethi, General Secretary Gopal Mahajan, former Mayors Chander Mohan Gupta and Rajinder Sharma, Treasurer Prabhat Singh Jamwal, All Cells Incharge Ved Sharma, BJYM President Arun Prabhat, District President Adv Rajesh Gupta, Co-Incharge Munish Khajuria and Sports Cell Co-Convenors Vikas Jandial, Luvdeep Singh, Ranjit Singh and Rajjinder Koul, and other senior BJP leaders were present.
Rajeshwari Sharma, chairperson POSH committee J&K, Director Colleges Cluster University Bakshi, Surinder Mohan Gupta, Anil Modi, Sanjit Kumar, Sunil Dutt Sharma, Charanjit Singh Raina, Manik Sharma, Ajit Singh, Amin, Manmeet Singh, BS Tirthi, Technical Officer Dubey, and other dignitaries also graced the occasion.
The Sports Cell also invited JMC councilors to prepare ward-level teams for upcoming tournaments, with cash prizes of ₹51,000 for the winning team and ₹25,000 for the runner-up, aiming to expand grassroots participation and build a stronger sporting culture across Jammu.


