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| Punjab Govt approves PCL to channel youth towards sports, away from drugs: Mann | | |
early times report
CHANDIGARH, Feb 10: Determined to confront Punjab’s drug crisis by reclaiming its sporting legacy, the Bhagwant Mann Government on Monday approved the launch of the Punjab Cricket League (PCL), positioning sports as a strategic intervention for youth empowerment rather than a token outreach programme.
Planned on the Indian Premier League (IPL) model with district and regional teams and backed by institutional partnerships with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA), the league is intended to systematically identify, groom and channel young talent into professional pathways, while simultaneously building a wider ecosystem of district- and state-level leagues across multiple sports to pull the state’s youth decisively away from drugs and towards discipline, opportunity and national representation.
Sharing a few snippets from the following meeting, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann wrote: “Today in Chandigarh, held a meeting with senior officials of the Department of Sports and Youth Services to discuss various issues, with a focused deliberation on promoting sports culture across the state. All officials were directed to make their maximum contribution towards encouraging youth to take up sports, with the objective of building a healthy and fit society. The government is consistently working to restore sports culture in Punjab and to reconnect the youth with playgrounds across the state.”
Chairing a review meeting of the Sports Department, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann stated that the state government would tie up with the Punjab Cricket Association and the Board of Control for Cricket in India to organise the league with the objective of grooming young talent from across Punjab. “The state government will collaborate with the Punjab Cricket Association and the Board of Control for Cricket in India to organise the Punjab Cricket League for grooming the youth of the state,” Bhagwant Singh Mann said.
Drawing inspiration from global examples, the Chief Minister stated that such initiatives had played a transformative role in world cricket. “Cricketers like Imran Khan and Arjuna Ranatunge gave several renowned players to world cricket through similar initiatives, and this league will go a long way in emerging Punjab as a nursery of cricketing talent,” he said.
Explaining the structure of the proposed league, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said that it would be organised on the lines of the Indian Premier League, with teams constituted on the basis of districts and geographical regions. “The Punjab Cricket League will be organised on the lines of the Indian Premier League, and teams will be formed on the basis of districts and geographical regions such as Majha, Doaba and Malwa to compete in the tournament,” he said. |
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