Energy Minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy on Friday inaugurated an inter-State cricket tournament organised by the Balineni Venkateswara Reddy and Rama Devi memorial committee at the ABM College grounds in Ongole.
Speaking on the occasion, the Minister shared how cricket had been his passion since his childhood days, and exhorted the youth to take part in sports to beat stress and enhance physical and mental fitness.
Going forward, tournaments would be organised in memory of his parents in other sports and games as well, he added. The annual tournament could not be held last year due to the pandemic. This time, 16 teams from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh will vie for honours in the nine-day tourney coinciding with the Sankranti festival. The winning team will win a cash prize of ₹2 lakh and the runner-up team will get ₹1.25 lakh. The team finishing third will get ₹75,000.
