Tamil Nadu announces ‘Play for All’ scheme to upgrade 500 playgrounds

The Tamil Nadu sports development department has announced the ‘Play for All’ scheme to upgrade 500 playgrounds across the state at a cost of Rs 50 crore. The announcement was made by minister Aadhav Arjuna in the Assembly on Tuesday during the demand for grants session. Under the scheme, playgrounds currently under rural panchayat unions and urban local bodies will be identified and linked with the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT). The stated objective is to ensure that athletes and the general public have immediate access to quality play spaces in their neighbourhoods, and to use sports to steer youth away from drug abuse and promote a sporting culture among all sections of the public. The state is also set to introduce the Tamil Nadu Sports Act to bring structural transparency to sports governance.