Center keen to focus on nurturing young sportspersons of the country

Updated on: Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Although Indian sports scenario is going through troubled waters, the center is keen to focus on nurturing young sportspersons of the country. Accordingly, the best 100 young sportspersons in each district of India will get an assured government job.

Named as, Identification and Nurturing Sports Talent (INSTAL), the Ministry of sports plans to set up a special school in every district of the country to provide training and guidance to young and budding sports children.

Budget for the entire scheme is fixed around Rs. 12,500 crore in the 12th five-year-plan (2012-17), is part of the Prime Ministerâ€™s plan to increase Indiaâ€™s medal haul in 2020 Olympics.

The government will utilise funds under another scheme called Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan to identify young sportsperson, thereby bringing synergy in the two schemes.

The union sports minister, Jitendra Singh recently unveiled the plan at a meeting of state sports ministers and said a major incentive under the scheme would be an assured government job to those budding sportsperson at an appropriate age.

He said, for promotion of sports in the country, the ministry is already working towards revamping Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan (PYKKA) in a major way. Central govt. will be playing an active role in providing funds to create sports complexes at identified locations at the block level in various disciplines both indoor and outdoor. Fund to the extent of Rs. 1.75 crores will be provided for construction of such complexes. This massive effort is estimated to cost about Rs.12,500 crores.

Most of the money being sought under the scheme would be utilized for setting up a sports school with conventional educational facilities in each district with the help of the education department of the state. The government officials said the curriculum for these schools would be different catering to overall sporting activity.

â€œHundred talented young boys and girls in the 6-10 age group will be selected through rural sports competition and will be admitted in district level schools with facilities of boarding, lodging, special diet and sports kit,â€? the minister said.

The government will bear all the expenses of these students and most promising of them would also get a stipend.

The best of these children would get specialised training at 25 centres of excellence to be set up across India by the Sports Authority of India.

Further more, he also declared a new programme of Sports Scholarships under which up to 10 scholarships in different disciplines of sports science and sports medicine will be offered every year. Under the programme, the scholars can go to any reputed institute in the world and all their education and living expenses will be borne by Government of India.

The minister requested the state governments to provide free land and development infrastructure for these centres in a bid to have a collaborative effort in promoting non-cricket sports, which has lagged behind because of public fund constraints.

The ministry expects to get approval of the Planning Commission for this scheme soon and expects to roll it out in select districts from the current financial year.

Center keen to focus on nurturing young sportspersons of the country

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