Newly appointed Vice-Chancellor of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh Punjab Sports University, Patiala, Dr Pushpinder Singh Gill officially assumed charge at the university office on Mall Road on Monday.The university currently has more than 284 students enrolled in different disciplines and a faculty strength of 16, while the construction of its new campus is still underway.Gill thanked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and outlined his priorities, saying that by promoting sports and nurturing athletes, the university would play a significant role in eliminating the scourge of drug abuse from Punjab.He further said the Punjab Government, particularly Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh, has assured him of full support for the university.Dr Gill added that the state government was developing sports stadiums in villages across Punjab and said the university would make every effort to realise the Chief Minister’s vision. Emphasising his background as a sportsperson, he said he would leave no stone unturned in taking the university to greater heights and justify the trust placed in him.Among those present on the occasion were Padma Shri Pran Sabharwal, Harkiran Singh Boparai, president and secretary of PUTA, faculty members from the Department of Business Management, Punjabi University, and several teachers and other dignitaries.The decision to set up the university was announced by the then Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh in the Vidhan Sabha on June 19, 2017. Subsequently, a steering committee headed by Olympian and International Olympic Committee member Randhir Singh had been set up to finalise the modalities to establish this sports educational institution.The university was set up to promote education in the areas of sports sciences, sports technology, sports management and sports coaching.