Bengaluru, 25th July 2023: On Sunday, Hon’ble Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports and Information and Broadcasting Shri Anurag Singh Thakur felicitated 72 school students across 36 States and UTs on their success in the second edition of India’s largest quiz on Fitness and Sports, namely the Fit India Quiz, during its State Rounds.
Jain Heritage School had participated in this prestigious National quiz and was one of the 36 winners to reach the state rounds, representing Karnataka. Vandana K Jain and Venkatarama Sastry from Jain Heritage School were felicitated with the prize money of Rs.2.5 Lakh.
The felicitation ceremony was held in Mumbai, 72 students representing 36 schools from all over India, will now compete in the national round of the Fit India Quiz 2022 which will be telecast on Star Sports and Disney Hotstar.
The winning school from each State/UT received a total prize money of Rs 2.5 Lakh, while the team of 2 students from the school was awarded a total of Rs 25,000. The state’s 1st runner-up school received a prize money of Rs 1 Lakh and the students, a total of Rs 10,000. Similarly, the State 2nd Runner-up School got a cash award of Rs 50,000 and the participating students bagged a total of Rs 5,000.
“Sports ecosystem has greatly changed in India in the past 9 years since the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi took over. It shows through the record medal tallies, be it in the Olympics, the Paralympics, or the Commonwealth Games. I believe we are also going to get the highest medal tally in Asian Games this September as well” mentioned Shri Anurag Singh Thakur Ji on Sunday, during the event.
Mentioning the need for physical fitness, the Hon’ble Minister added, “There has been a substantial rise in obesity, cardiac diseases, and other health conditions around the world and in India as well. The only solution is to take it to the playfield. The sole purpose of the Fit India quiz is to give this message of health and fitness and make school students aware of India’s sporting history. Keeping the National Education Policy in mind, we are doing as much as possible to make sports a part of the main school curriculum. Sports is not just a co-curricular activity anymore. Academics and sports are now intertwined across various platforms.”
A total of 348 schools were selected for the State/UT rounds. Among these students, 39% were girl students. The selected schools formed a team of two students, who competed for the State/UT championship through a series of web rounds. A total of 120 rounds were conducted to identify 36 State/UT champions. As many as 12 out of 36 schools identified as state/UT champions are government schools.
Mrs. Archana Vishwanath, Principal, of Jain Heritage School said: “We are very proud to be among his 36 winners representing Karnataka in the State Round. Kudos to Vandan K Jain and Venkatarama Sastry for their wonderful performance which brought honor to our school. Their success in the quiz reflects our commitment to promoting a holistic education that links physical and intellectual abilities. This recognition reinforces our belief in developing a whole humanity that values sportsmanship and excellence.”
The 2nd edition of the Fit India National Fitness and Sports Quiz for Schools was launched on 29th August last year on the eve of the National Sports Day by Shri Anurag Singh Thakur and Hon’ble Minister of State, Youth Affairs & Sports and Ministry of Home Affairs, Shri Nisith Pramanik, in the presence of the Hon’ble Union Minister of Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan.
Following the success of the 1st edition of the Fit India Quiz, the second edition received massive participation of over 61,981 students from 16,702 schools across 702 districts of India. In comparison, the first edition of the Fit India Quiz saw a total participation of 36,299 students from 13,502 schools. It also amounted to a 70% increase in the number of students participating in the second edition of the quiz as compared to the first edition.
Talking about massive participation, Shri Thakur Ji said, “The vision of Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat is being upheld by every means through the quiz. There are so many students from different parts of the country – be it Andaman and Nicobar, Kargil, Lakshadweep, and more. This gives all the students a great chance to build connections and also make sure there is a lot of cultural exchange taking place among them.”
Fit India Quiz is India’s biggest quiz on sports and fitness for school-going children. The quiz was launched in 2020 with the aim of propagating the message of Fit India among school children and strengthening its presence in schools. The quiz has a total cash prize of Rs. 3.25 crore which goes to the school and students. It gives a unique platform to students from every nook and corner of the country to showcase their knowledge in sports and fitness and provide a platform on a national level.
