CM announces Rs 50L for dev of Mohun Bagan Athletic Club

kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday announced that the state government would give Rs 50 lakh for the development of Mohun Bagan Athletic Club. She made the announcement while inaugurating the new state-of-the-art tent in the Maidan area.

She also said that the state government would provide financial assistance and jobs to the two athletes from Bengal— Achinta Sheuli and Sourav Ghosal—who clinched medals at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Meanwhile, set up in 1889, the national club— Mohun Bagan Athletic Club—is first to come up with a modern club tent. Recalling her long association with sports personalities, Banerjee—who was once the Union minister-of-state for Sports and Youth Affairs in PV Narasimha Rao government said during her tenure swimmer Bula Chowdhury and footballer Subrata Bhattacharya got Arjuna award. Ramakant Achrekar got the Dronacharya award in 1990. She said recently she had met PT Usha in Delhi.

Banerjee said the budget of the state Sports and Youth Affairs department has gone up nine times over the years. Thirty four thousand clubs in the state have got Rs 5 lakh each to carry out development. She said the Archery Academy has come up in the state. "Our boys and girls are doing well in sports and with the help of modern facilities they are expected to do better in future. We have set up stadiums to encourage different sports," she added.

The state-of-the-art tent will house a conference hall, a corner to showcase trophies, a library where books on Mohun Bagan and paper clippings and cuttings will be kept to help researchers. Banerjee signed a football which will be kept in the museum. She requested the club authorities to give her a football. She told the gathering that she bounces a ball every day to keep herself fit. Mohun Bagan was the first Indian club to win IFA Shield in 1911 by beating Eastern Yorks 2-1. It was declared the national Club of India.