New Delhi, Feb. 1 -- Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said that the country is proud of youth scaling new heights in sports and noted that India's number-one ranked player Praggnanandhaa put up a stiff fight against the reigning World Champion Magnus Carlsson in 2023.

Presenting the interim budget in Parliament, Sitharaman noted that India has over 80 chess grandmasters compared to about 20 in 2010.

"The country is proud of our youth scaling new heights in sports. The highest ever medal tally in Asian Games and Asian Para Games in 2023 reflects a high confidence level," she said.

"Chess prodigy and our number-one ranked player Praggnanandhaa put up a stiff fight against the reigning World Champion Magnus Carlsson i...