Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Sikkim

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra ModiCurrently on a two-day visit to Sikkim, he on Tuesday shared pictures of himself playing football with youngsters in Gangtok.Wearing a blue sports jacket emblazoned with the tricolour, PM Modi is seen walking with a group of young footballers wearing matching kits, each holding a football, in what appears to be a casual morning session on the field.

PM Modi played football with the youth

The Prime Minister shared pictures of the conversation in a post on X, writing, “Nothing like playing football with my young friends in Sikkim on a beautiful morning in Gangtok!”In another post he said, “Clearly, an energetic football session with these youngsters!”The informal sporting moment comes amid PM Modi’s official engagements in the Himalayan state. He is scheduled to attend the concluding ceremony of Sikkim’s 50 years of statehood and launch development projects worth over Rs 4,000 crore.As part of his itinerary, the Prime Minister will also visit the Orchidarium at Swarnjayanti Maitri Manjari Park in Gangtok, which has been developed as a world-class Orchid Experience Centre.Tight security arrangements have been made in the state capital and surrounding areas for the yatra.Later in the day, PM Modi will head to Paljor Stadium to attend the state’s foundation ceremony, where he is also expected to address a gathering. The projects to be launched span across sectors including infrastructure, connectivity, healthcare, education, power, urban development, environment, tourism and agriculture.After reaching the state on Monday, PM Modi had earlier led a road show in Gangtok on Monday evening.Earlier he was supposed to attend the 50th statehood ceremony at Paljor Stadium on May 29 last year, but he could not reach due to bad weather. He had addressed the event through video conferencing at that time and assured that he would personally visit Sikkim in future.