Over 31K village panchayats approved under PYKKA sports scheme

• Around 31, 400 village panchayats and one thousand block panchayats in the country have been approved under the Centrally sponsored sports scheme -- Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan (PYKKA) -- as on 30th November this year.
• This information was given in a written reply in the Lok Sabha by the Sports Minister Dr. M S Gill. He said 15,000 playfields have been developed during this period. He said around 22 lakh rural youth including around nine lakh women, participated in the rural sports competition held last year against a total of over seven lakh in the previous year. He said the scheme has started gaining popularity in rural areas across the country.