Union Home Minister Amit Shah speaks during the inauguration and foundation stone laying of various development works, in Gandhinagar on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Haldwani:

The closing ceremony of the 38th National Games was held at the International Sports Stadium, Golapar, Haldwani, in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday.

Mr Dhami welcomed Amit Shah with a memento, a shawl and a bouquet of flowers.

#WATCH | Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami felicitates Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the closing ceremony of the 38th National Games in Haldwani pic.twitter.com/ksVWowMAlW

— ANI (@ANI) February 14, 2025

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha officially declared the conclusion of the 38th National Games. On this occasion, the Union Home Minister honored the top three teams–Services, Maharashtra, and Haryana.

Amit Shah saluted the deities of Uttarakhand’s four holy shrines and stated that Chief Minister Dhami has successfully developed sports infrastructure in every district of the state. He acknowledged that under Dhami’s leadership, Uttarakhand has risen from the 25th to the seventh position on the national sports map. The state’s winning athletes have transformed the land of gods into a land of sports. Amit Shah congratulated all the victorious athletes from Uttarakhand and wished them a bright future, as per a press release from the state government.

Further,as per the statement, praising the organising committee and sports bodies of Uttarakhand, Amit Shah said that the state has been widely appreciated across the country for its exceptional arrangements for the National Games. Despite geographical challenges, Uttarakhand successfully hosted the event under the leadership of CM Dhami. He emphasized that winning and losing are secondary in sports; the real message is to cultivate the spirit of victory and resilience after defeat. He encouraged the athletes who couldn’t win this time to strive for medals in the future.

According to the release, Amit Shah also noted that under CM Dhami’s leadership, the 38th National Games implemented eco-friendly practices. Trees were planted in honor of the athletes, and several national records were set during the event, raising hopes for India’s success in international competitions. He announced that the National Games torch would now pass from Uttarakhand to Meghalaya, where CM Conrad Sangma plans to hold sporting events across Northeast states to promote the region in sports. Shah extended his best wishes to Meghalaya for the upcoming National Games.

Amit Shah credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for fostering a positive sporting environment in India. He highlighted the government’s efforts in developing sports infrastructure, providing coaching, and ensuring a transparent selection process, which has enhanced India’s global sports reputation. He affirmed that India’s sporting future is bright and that new records will be set continuously. Under the “Fit India” and “Khelo India” initiatives, PM Modi has encouraged youth to actively participate in sports, teaching them resilience and determination.

Amit Shah also underlined that success in sports comes not just from physical ability but also from determination and perseverance. Athletes can achieve their goals through relentless effort. He mentioned that PM Modi has taken significant steps to promote youth in sports, leading athletes to regard him as their “sports companion.” He noted that India’s sports budget has increased from Rs 800 crores in 2014 to Rs 3,800 crores for 2025-26, enabling better sports infrastructure and fostering a hunger for victory.

Amit Shah highlighted that the successful hosting of the National Games in Uttarakhand, a small hilly state, demonstrates India’s readiness for large-scale sporting events. He expressed confidence that India is prepared to host the 2036 Olympics, and Uttarakhand’s athletes will make the country proud by winning medals.

Paying tribute to former Union Minister Sushma Swaraj and the martyrs of the Pulwama attack, Amit Shah stated that their sacrifices have strengthened national security. He recalled how, under PM Modi’s leadership, India responded decisively with an airstrike on Pakistan, altering the world’s perception of India and sending a strong message to adversaries.

CM Dhami remarked that Uttarakhand received PM Modi’s blessings at the inauguration of the National Games, and now, at the closing ceremony, they were honored by the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He expressed pride in Uttarakhand hosting the National Games for the first time in its silver jubilee year. Over 16,000 athletes participated in 35 sports disciplines, winning a total of 448 gold, 448 silver, and 594 bronze medals. Several national records were set, and many emerging champions showcased their potential for future international competitions.

For the first time, traditional sports like yoga and Mallakhamb were included in the National Games. Additionally, a world record was set by organising a nighttime river rafting competition.

CM Dhami highlighted that the National Games in Uttarakhand were themed as “Green Games,” promoting minimal plastic use and utilizing solar energy. The medals were made from e-waste, and sports kits were crafted from recycled materials. Electric vehicles were used for transportation, and a 2.77-hectare “Sports Forest” was established, where Rudraksha trees were planted in the name of medal-winning athletes.

The competitions were held across both urban and remote areas, including Dehradun, Haridwar, Rudrapur, Haldwani, Rishikesh, Almora, Pithoragarh, and Tehri. Even a small town like Chakarpur hosted a major event. Water sports were conducted in high-altitude lakes and rivers of Uttarakhand. Instead of temporary arrangements, permanent sports infrastructure was developed at various locations.

CM Dhami proudly announced that Uttarakhand won a record 103 medals, including 24 golds, at the National Games. He expressed confidence that this achievement would inspire young athletes. He assured that Uttarakhand followed the ancient tradition of “Atithi Devo Bhava” (Guests are God) by ensuring the comfort and convenience of visiting athletes and support staff, hoping they would return with their families to experience the state’s natural beauty.

He noted that the closing of the National Games is not an end but a new beginning of opportunities, aspirations, and commitments. CM Dhami thanked PM Modi and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya for entrusting Uttarakhand with the responsibility of hosting the National Games. He also expressed gratitude to the Indian Olympic Association, Uttarakhand Olympic Association, the sports department, and all volunteers for their contributions. He extended best wishes to Meghalaya for the successful hosting of the 39th National Games.

Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya congratulated CM Dhami for the successful organization of the 38th National Games, declaring that Uttarakhand is now a “sports land” in addition to being the “land of gods.” He also congratulated all medal-winning athletes, stating that India is on the path to becoming a global sports hub.

Indian Olympic Association President PT Usha praised Uttarakhand for hosting the event efficiently despite limited preparation time. She acknowledged CM Dhami’s efforts in enhancing sports facilities and support for athletes.

State Sports Minister Rekha Arya commended the athletes for embodying the “resolve to excellence” spirit, making Uttarakhand proud. She acknowledged the people’s support in making the National Games a grand success.

The event was attended by Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma, Union Minister of State Ajay Tamta, Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt, and MP Ajay Bhatt.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Union Home Minister Amit Shah was unanimously re-elected as the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement on Monday.

The decision was taken in a meeting of the committee, which was held in New Delhi. After the formation of the new government, the meeting of the committee was held here on Monday to reconstitute the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language.

Amit Shah was elected for the first time as the chairperson of the committee in 2019.

The Home Minister expressed his gratitude to all the members of the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language for unanimously re-electing him as the Chairperson.

In his address, Union Home Minister said that for the last 75 years we have been working to promote the official language, but in the last 10 years there has been a slight change in its method. He said that KM Munshi and NG Iyengar had decided after consultation with many people that in order to accept Hindi as the official language and to promote it in government work, Hindi should not compete with any local language.

Amit Shah further said that in the last 10 years, after Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister, the committee has continuously tried to make Hindi a friend of all local languages, and it does not compete with anyone. He said that “we should take care that the speakers of any local language do not have an inferiority complex” and Hindi should be generally accepted as the language of work with consensus and agreement.

The Home Minister underlined that after 75 years of independence, it is very important that the country is governed in the language of the country, and the government has made many efforts in this regard. He added that “we created a Shabdkosh, and, in collaboration with the education department, added thousands of words from local languages to Hindi.”

“There were many words whose synonyms were not available in Hindi, but by accepting many words from other languages, we not only enriched Hindi and made it flexible but also strengthened the relationship between that particular language and Hindi,” he said.

Amit Shah said that the Department of Official Language is developing a software that will automatically translate all the languages of the 8th Schedule on a technical basis. Once this work is completed, Hindi will gain acceptance and evolve in our work at a very fast pace. He said that in the last 5 years, we have worked very hard and have given three large volumes of the committee’s report to the President, which has never happened before. Home Minister said that we should maintain this pace.

The Home Minister also said that cooperation and acceptance should be the two basic foundations of our work. He said that “we have to move forward with such a goal that on Independence Day in 2047, our country’s entire work will be done in Indian languages with pride.”

He said, “We have to give a new life to the 1000-year-old Hindi language, make it accepted, and try to complete the task left before us by the freedom fighters.”

The Home Minister said that by giving new life to a language that is thousands of years old and increasing its acceptance, we must fulfil the dream of the visionaries of the freedom movement.

He added that none of the freedom fighters like Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Lokmanya Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi, Lala Lajpat Rai, C Rajagopalachari, KM Munshi, and Sardar Patel, etc., came from the Hindi speaking states, but all of them had realised that the country should have a language that works as a medium of communication between the states. That is why, in the new education policy brought by Prime Minister Modi, “we have emphasised that the primary education of the child should be in his mother tongue. When the child learns his mother tongue, he gets connected with many languages of the country.

Amit Shah said that under the Munshi-Iyengar Committee, one thing was decided that a language commission would be formed every 5 years that would consider linguistic diversity, but it was forgotten. He said that without competing with any Indian language, we need to increase the acceptance of Hindi.

The Home Minister said that Hindi is now in a way associated with employment, and technology, and the Government of India is also making special efforts to integrate all the new age technologies with the Hindi language.

In the new education policy, a resolution has been taken to give importance to all mother tongues, this committee will take it much further.

Amit Shah said that this is the 75th year since Hindi was accepted as the official language, and on this occasion, a very big conference is being organised at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi. The Parliamentary Committee on Official Language was constituted under the provisions of Section 4 of the Official Languages Act, 1963, in the year 1976. The committee comprises 30 members of Parliament, out of which 20 are from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha.

The newly appointed MPs from the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha were also present in the meeting. Officers from the Department of Official Language, led by Secretary Anshuli Arya, also attended the meeting, along with officials of the Parliamentary Committee.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)