Maharashtra: Adventure sport tag to Dahi Handi will bring India international fame, says Uday Samant

File Photo/PTI

Maharashtra Minister Uday Samant on Sunday said giving 'Dahi Handi' the status of an adventure sport will bring fame to the country at the international level.

Samant, a rebel Shiv Sena leader from the Eknath Shinde camp, slammed the Opposition for misguiding people about the decision by claiming that the move will cause aspirants to lose the opportunity to land a government job.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has accorded the adventure sport tag to 'Dahi Handi', which will allow young participants (called govindas) to apply for government jobs under the sports quota.

"Recognising Dahi Handi as an adventure sport will bring world fame to India. It will not impact students who try hard to crack the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) examination every year," the state industries minister said.

Samant further said that the Opposition was trying hard to criticise the Shinde government's announcement.

Also Read: Dahi Handi: Govindas to soon plan trip from Mumbai to Spain for learning new techniques as part of adventure sport

"They are misguiding people by claiming that aspirants will lose the opportunity to land a government job. The government will hold talks with experts in the field and institutes to frame rules and regulations for the game and qualifications," the minister said.

He also defended the move to construct metro car shed at Aarey near Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai.

"The national park is spread over 12,000 hectares, of which Aarey colony covers 1,300 hectares and 30 hectares are being used for the metro 3 car shed and it will be surrounded by roads on three sides," Samant said.

Citing that the land was originally owned by the state dairy development corporation and not the forest ministry, the minister claimed that since the beginning of the project, some misconceptions were being spread among people.

"The reports by experts clearly state that the construction of the car shed on Aarey plot is the most feasible option. As many as 17 lakh passengers will be travelling by metro on a daily basis once all the routes are operational," Samant said.

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