By Indian Sports Minister Anurag Thakur is set to inaugurate the sixth season of the Khasdar Krida Mahotsav (KKM), the country’s premier multisport grassroots festival, at Yeshwant Stadium in Nagpur on Friday. The brainchild of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, KKM spans 17 days and features 55 games across six disciplines for participants from Vidarbha districts.
KKM serves as a platform for fitness enthusiasts, amateur, and professional players, with a total prize money of 1.35 crores distributed to podium finishers across the 55 disciplines in this edition, as highlighted by KKM convener and former mayor Sandip Joshi during a media briefing on Wednesday.
“In our sixth year, we will be conducting six sports at the Vidarbha level. For the first time, badminton will be held for participants from nearby districts, as cycling, kho kho, athletics, kabaddi, and judo tournaments will be for Vidarbha players,” Joshi stated.
The opening ceremony will witness Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Nitin Gadkari, MLA Chandrashekhar Bawankule, and other regional MLAs sharing the dais.
A total of 4,500 players from Vidarbha have already registered for athletics and kabaddi tournaments starting on Friday, with podium finishers in athletics receiving a prize fund of 7,95,900, and kabaddi players earning 5,58,000.
Badminton, making its debut for nearby district participants, will commence on January 13, featuring both open and veteran categories with a prize fund of 3,86,000 over seven days.
A cycling event is scheduled for January 21, offering a total cash prize of 1,59,200.
Alongside kabaddi, the traditional kho kho tournament will take place at Mankapur Stadium from Friday, and judo will debut for Vidarbha players at IDCPE College over two days starting Saturday.
All participating players will receive a one-year insurance cover of ₹2 lakh each.
