New Delhi, Nov. 12 -- The Punjab government on Wednesday inaugurated 1,000 additional village sports grounds under its Pendu Khed Maidan programme, taking the total number opened to 1,764 against a statewide target of 3,100. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann launched the phase at Shahpur village, saying it would expand access to sport and help keep young people away from drugs.

The project is part of the government's Yudh Nashean Virudh campaign. Mann said the state wanted to build a sporting culture in every village and create pathways for rural talent. Punjab, he said, could become an international sporting hub.

The latest inauguration follows two earlier phases. The government dedicated 255 grounds on May 4 and another 509 on August...