Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Kiren Rijiju along with Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rup on Sunday inaugurated the Sanskardham Sports Academy in Ahmedabad.
To mark the event, various sports personalities were present at the event. Rijiju was even spotted playing football before the inauguration of the academy.
Deepa Malik, the Rio Paralympics silver medallist, who recently received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award was also in attendance.
She said it is paramount to make children aware of sports at a young age. She said there are various activities which children will be able to practice in the academy.
"When you make children aware of sports at a young age, this will help in their overall development. There are various sports in this academy and the youth will get proper opportunities. I hope they make the nation proud one day," Malik told .
Malik said that the mindset towards the para-athletes has changed a lot in the country. She thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for advocating 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas'.
"The mindset towards the para-athletes has changed a lot over the years. Me being present here is a very big deal. Various sportspersons are here, Vishwanathan Anand, Mary Kom, Gagan Narang are all here and me being present along with them is a big deal. If you see the Maha Kumbh logo, you can see a disabled child on it," Malik said.
"It is the request of our PM as he has been advocating 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas'. There is a tremendous amount of recognition with respect to para-athletes. Ministry of Sports has been supporting us. Infrastructure, inclusion has developed quite a lot," she added.
Malik was awarded Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna on August 29 and as a result, she became the first Indian woman para-athlete to be conferred with the accolade.
( With inputs from ANI )