Every third Saturday of the month, students in Rajasthan will find themselves sharpening their chess skills. The state's Education Minister Dr BD Kalla has announced that it is from November 19 that this initiative will hit the ground.

The third Saturday of every month has already been anointed as "No Bag Day" and now, students will be provided with an opportunity to play chess, reported IANS. In Bikaner, students got a chance to test this new initiative on Thursday, November 10.

According to the IANS report, the Education Minister said that the move will help in the mental development of the children and also noted that 30 lakh sportspersons from rural areas participated in the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Olympic Games. As announced by the Chief Minister, these games will also be organised in urban areas. He said that these games would bring out champions from the schools and would bring laurels to Rajasthan in the world.

He said that with the start of the 'Chess in School' initiative, children will get an opportunity to increase concentration, memory, discipline, and self-reflection, reported IANS. The Minister said that amidst the negative impact of smartphones, this initiative will be helpful in making the mind of the future generation more creative. Bikaner Divisional Commissioner, Dr Neeraj KA Pawan, said that chess will help in understanding life and having this game accessible to one crore households will bring a big change. 

President of Permanent Lok Adalat, Mahesh Sharma, said that for the first time in the country, this innovative initiative has been taken by a state government for the mental health and strength of the children. During the function on Thursday, Kalla lit a torch and handed it over to the officials of the Education Department. The Minister also started the programme by playing a game of chess with the school children.