Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday directed officials to view the 'Play Andhra Pradesh' sports festival as a prestigious event through which hidden sports talents from the villages can be identified.
He issued these directions while reviewing the forthcoming sports festival and instructed officials to develop cricket and other sports in the state by encouraging youth, a government press release on Thursday said.
"State-level events should bring out hidden sports talent in villages. While organising the event in a prestigious manner, the festival should inspire others," the chief minister said.
Besides arranging excellent facilities for the participants, famous sportspersons from the state should be invited to participate in the event, the CM instructed the officials.
Emphasising the importance of developing cricket in the state, Reddy directed officials to take all possible steps to encourage the sport, including setting up a modern cricket stadium in Visakhapatnam.
On developing the new stadium, he instructed officials to transform the existing Y S R Stadium into a sports centre of excellence. Further, he directed them to establish cricket academies at Kadapa, Tirupati, Mangalagiri and Visakhapatnam. Meanwhile, officials apprised the CM of the measures being taken to conduct the event at village, mandal, district, constituency and state levels.
