Deogarh, Dec 25: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday called for collective responsibility to make Deogarh a sports-oriented district, hailing the region of sportspersons and praising children's keenness towards sports.

Pradhan stated this at the "34th National Level Bamanda Cup Cricket Tournament" organized by the Bamanda Cricket Club in Deogarh.

"Deogarh is a district with a lot of interest in sports. Keeping up with this tradition, the Bamanda Cup Cricket Tournament has been organized for 34 years to create a sportsman spirit among the youth. The effort is praiseworthy," said Pradhan.

The Union Minister said the young talents of Deogarh are bringing success to the state in Kabaddi and mountaineering.

Apart from cricket, other sports like football and kabaddi are also played here. All of us will try to build sports personalities from among the youth through Khelo India and Fit India, said Pradhan.

The Union Minister called for cooperation from all to build a stadium with a state-of-the-art sports complex.