Udupi: Union Minister for Information and Broadcast, Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur assured to set up an FM station in Udupi within four months.

He was addressing a gathering after inaugurating a Sports Science Centre (SSC) at Ajjarkadu on Saturday. He said the Udupi’s dream to have its own FM station will be realised at the earliest. 

Thakur said the budgetary allocation has increased for the sports sector.  Thus, parents should ensure that their children play sports, he added. 

‘’As science has entered into Indian sports, many researchers have been empaneled by the department. Sports science and analytics is important to assess the athlete’s performance and potentials which can go a long way in improving India’s overall performance in sports,’’ he added.

Thakur said Udupi Sports Science Centres will also cater to the needs of neighbouring districts.

He said the government is keen on supporting rural talents at national and international-levels. He assured all help to the state government and sports talents.

The governments are working together irrespective of the party ideologies for the betterment of the sports talents. He recollected that earlier the annual budget of the sports ministry was Rs 864 crore.

“Now, it is Rs 3,100 crore this year,” he said. In 2014, Rs 630 crore was spent on sports infrastructure, and this year Rs 2,700 crore was invested on sports infrastructure, he said. 

‘’Karnataka is doing well in sports and a digital library is needed to document the achievements of players,” he emphasised.