'India has a lot more than cricket,' says PM Narendra Modi

NEW DELHI: India "has a lot more than cricket", which is why other sports need to be encouraged and talent needs to be spotted right down at the district level, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi today.
"Only providing infrastructure is not enough, a conducive environment is very important for sports, something that cricket has in India. But India has a lot more than just cricket.We need to map sports persons at District level to identify talent," Modi said in a video address to a conference of ministers and secretaries of tourism, culture, youth affairs and sports.
The PM also talked about the country's demographic dividend and the need to harness this creatively to make a better India.
"Cutting across lines we need to realise how the power of youth can be materialised to make a better India as our majority population is below 35 (years of age)," he said.
The young in India have already done a lot to improve the country and their efforts are evident in the Swachh Bharat Mission.
"A digital movement in the nation is going on and the youth are at the core of this. Our youth gave strength to Swachh Bharat Mission too," Modi said.
The PM talked about how having "a sense of pride in the country" can go a long way in advancing not just sports, but also every other sphere of development.
"We can have great impact on the world with our vast cultural heritage, if we have a sense of pride for it. As far as tourism is concerned, India is blessed with so much potential and this can draw the world to India." Modi said.
The best way to harness this potential is to "maximise output while minimising costs" when promoting tourism, he said.
"Everything ranging from the varieties of music and food is a part of our cultural heritage which have to be put across to the world...if we work towards targeted development we can maximise output while minimising costs. Each state should pick a few destinations and create world class tourism infrastructure and draw the world there," the PM said.
In addition to attracting tourists from abroad, inter-state tourism should also be encouraged, Modi said.
"We have started with 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat' event to promote inter-state tourism in country," Modi said.