Raman Suri
The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has constituted a committee to revise The Jammu and Kashmir (Appoin-tment of Outstanding Sports Persons) Rules for short-listing the outstanding sports persons for appointment against the posts earmarked under sports quota. This was a much-needed decision that was pending since ages. Most of the deserving sports persons who had brought laurels to our Union Territory (UT) in different sports categories were not provided with employment since a pretty long time.
Now that a committee has been constituted for the purpose and asked to submit its report/recommendations within thirty days, emphasis must be laid on the fact that all such sports, which have been recognised by the Sports Council of India and are also played in Olympics, are included in the new rules. To make the process transparent, marks should be given to those who participated or won medals in school games, university games, Olympics, national games, Asian games, Commonwealth games and all other sporting events that are recognised by the Sports Council and other international sports bodies.
This will set the system straight and rule out the possibility of anyone favouring any sports person. Prior to this, several games that had no relevance were introduced by erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council to benefit a chosen few. Now, while making changes in SRO-349 of 1998 read with SRO 376 of 2004, the committee headed by Principal Secretary, Home Department must fix a genuine criteria for short listing the outstanding sports persons for appointment against the posts earmarked under Sports quota so that no one gets undue benefits or cheats the committee.
The committee members must include even those who obtain certificates besides medal winners, and allocate number to their achievements so that there is no scope of favouring anyone at any given point of time. Principal Secretary Youth Services and Sports, Additional Director General of Police Coordination (PHQ) J&K, Commissioner Secretary GAD, Secretary Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Director General Youth Services & Sports J&K and Secretary Sports Council J&K have been members of the committee.
To widen the scope of employment and encourage sports, besides government departments this scheme must also be extended to Public Sector Undertakings (PSU), autonomous institutions and to the departments that have their own rules. The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is in dire need of such a fair scheme so that sports persons are encouraged, who in turn will set a precedence for youth to follow and not get disillusioned by anti-social elements.
The sports gradation policy, that is being revised, must also reserve government jobs for technical graduates and other graduates and their eligibility must be determined on the basis of their merit in sports as per the grading criteria. The committee constituted must also delete non-recognised sports and include internationally played games like athletics, archery, badminton, basketball, boxing, cricket, chess, cycling, fencing, football, golf, gymnastics, handball, hockey, judo, kabaddi, kayaking, canoeing, shooting, squash, swimming, rowing, table tennis, volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling and alike, that the committee deems apt.
Special emphasis must be paid on the sports bodies promoting sports in UT of Jammu and Kashmir. Many of them don’t conduct elections, submit accounts or don’t have adequate coaches and infrastructure to train sports persons. There are still many organisations that are being controlled by a single entity or government officials, who even misuse their positions or cast an influence on the selectors. These all must be done away with so that deserving and genuine players are provided an opportunity and win medals for the UT of Jammu and Kashmir.
Sports quota is considered as a very important quota that is being pursued in almost every state and UT. Those eligible must be provided with government jobs in UT or their names should be recommended to the Central Government or army and other belt forces, which otherwise also have this quota fixed in their rules. However, a recommendation by the UT of Jammu and Kashmir will make all the difference and help those living in remote areas to get better opportunities. The committee constituted for deciding merit must also ensure that games, that have been included during past some time but don’t get due representation from across the UT, are excluded.
Boys and girls who excelled or have even participated in University Games, school games, Asian Games, Federation Cup, South Asia Federation Games, World Cup, Olympics, or Commonwealth Games besides other such events must be given preference based on the numbers allocated to their achievements including certificates and medals. Other than these events, those who have participated in UT or national events, represented their university in inter-university sports competition or any state school team in inter-state school competitions organised by the All-India School Games Federations besides received National Award, are also included for the jobs.
Gatka, the traditional fighting style of the Nihang Sikh warriors from Punjab, which was largely used in self-defence and stands recognised as an art form, has now been included in the Khelo India Youth Games scheduled to be held at Haryana this year. To add to this recognition, Gatka has already been listed in Punjab Government’s State Sports Policy which allows its practitioners to avail three per cent reserved seats in universities and state government jobs. The UT of Jammu and Kashmir must also include Gatka achievements at national levels for university admissions as well as jobs in government departments.
Another important aspect of the new rules should be that screening committee must meet quarterly to finalise gradation certificates or allocate numbers, so that sports persons don’t have to wait endlessly. The committee authorised to finalise names must even be open to meet and decide any case on merit basis at any given day of the year, so that deserving sports persons don’t have to wait long enough to get justice delivered. Still important is that UT government must pull up all sports associations for not adhering to the ethics.
Several sports associations are being manned by a particular group since ages, which is why favouritism has started creeping in the sports as well. Now that the Hon’ble Court has asked Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to take over the control of J&K Cricket Association and run its affairs till new arrangements falls in place, a message must also go to all other sports bodies to mend their ways and do justice with the deserving players without any prejudice. Deserving sportspersons must also be included in the bodies so that they decide the fate of their juniors and train them fairly. To sum up, one must ensure that grades, and not links should be the criteria to get jobs under sports category.
(The author is Executive Member Bharatiya Janata Party J&K)
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