By Our Correspondent
ATHAGARH/BHUBANESWAR: Ending all speculations and wait, Former International Cricketer Suresh Raina in august presence of Ranendra Pratap Swain, Minister Agriculture, Farmers’ Empowerment, Fisheries and Animal Resources Development, on Wednesday
inaugurated the MGM Minerals Ltd Group sponsored MGM School of Sports, Centre of Excellence for Cricket at Kapursingh, Gurudijhatia in Athagarh in Cuttack.
This School has been made to fulfil the vision of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s vision to make the State as Sports hub. The total project cost is around Rs 40 Crore. The newly inaugurated Center of Excellence for Cricket is designed to accommodate 100 players for cricket and other sports apart from other supporting staffs. In fact priorities will be given to players from Odisha. The land area for the project is 30 Acres.
Suresh Raina thanked MGM Group for building such a fantastic infrastructure for promotion of cricket and other sports at grassroots level. He also congratulated the MGM Group on inauguration of the Centre of Excellence. Similarly, international Odia cricket player Pragyan Ojha said when he heard of inauguration such a sports academy, he felt proud of his own State.
MGM Minerals Ltd Group CMD and Chairman MGM School of Sports, Pankaj Lochan Mohanty presided over the Opening Ceremony and gave the opening address, where Tusharkanti Behera, Minister of Sports and Youth Service, IT and Home, Former International Cricketer Pragyan Ojha, Ashirbad Behera, OAA, Sanjay Behera, Secretary OCA and others, graced the opening ceremony.
Mohanty, who is also Vice –President of Odisha Cricket Association, sought cooperation from all cricket and sports lovers and State Government for the smooth functioning the this noble venture. MGM Minerals Ltd Group, Odisha, is putting this Cricket School for, a planning to have a world class cricket infrastructure with help of Odisha Government and Odisha Cricket Academy. The Academy will be fully functional by 3 years of time, Mohanty said. It will be upgraded on line of National Cricket Academy and other National level Institution, he said. This School has been made to fulfil the vision of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s vision to make the State as Sports hub. The total project cost is around Rs 40 Crore.
The MGM School of Sports, Centre of Excellence for Cricket will immensely help budding talents, particular in rural areas of Odisha and MGM Mineral Ltd Group’s such noble initiate through MGM School of Sports, Centre of Excellence for Cricket, has drawn huge applauds from cricket fraternity.
