Sports boost students’ mindset: Dy Speaker

Bhimavaram: Deputy Speaker Kanumuri Raghurama Krishnam Raju and Rajya Sabha Member Paka Venkata Satyanarayana have emphasised that giving equal importance to sports along with education plays a vital role in enhancing students’ mental development and helps them grow into responsible and socially useful citizens.

They were speaking as chief guests at the inaugural ceremony of the State-level Engineering Colleges Sports Competitions, ‘Jaitra 2026’, organised as a grand sports carnival at SRKR Engineering College, Bhimavaram, on Wednesday. The leaders described the hosting of state-level engineering college sports competitions at SRKR Engineering College as an exemplary and inspiring initiative.

They suggested that more sports courts, especially for women, should be established by the next academic year and that large-scale sports competitions should be conducted. They noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu are actively encouraging youth by organising sports events, science fairs, hackathons, and similar competitions to strengthen students’ mental resilience and innovative thinking.

Speaking on the occasion, College Secretary and Correspondent Sagi Ramakrishna Nishanth Varma, Principal Dr KV Murali Krishnam Raju, and Chief Administrative Officer Dilip Chakravarthy stated that SRKR Engineering College accords equal priority to academics and sports. They highlighted that students of the college have recently performed excellently in Central Zone and South Zone competitions as well.

The sports carnival was formally inaugurated by releasing colourful balloons. Competitions in kabaddi, volleyball, badminton, and pickleball commenced with great enthusiasm. Around 100 teams from various engineering colleges across the state are participating in both men’s and women’s categories.

Physical Director Dr P Satyanarayana Raju, Assistant Physical Directors Dr Ch Harimohan and G Sarika, and others are supervising the events to ensure their smooth and successful conduct.