Infra, incentives, schemes, coaching to get extraordinary attention

Rajesh Dhar
JAMMU, Mar 1: The draft of J&K Sports Policy envisages special measures and promises an extraordinary attention to the development of infrastructure in the State, awarding of incentives to outstanding sportspersons, implementation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes and making coaches accountable and answerable, besides categorization of games under Olympic and non-Olympic charter.
Sources said that the J&K State Sports Council has finalized a proposed draft of the J&K Sports Policy, which has already been presented to the Chief Minister and president of the Council, Omar Abdullah for consideration, envisages special steps with regard to promotion of sports and games in the State.
“The draft of the J&K Sports Policy to be constituted with an aim to create sports culture  in the State includes the development of infrastructure at the division, district, tehsil, block and Gram Panchayat level, besides launching a State Sports Talent Hunt Scheme to identify the players at grass-root level,” sources added.
Sources further added that the draft proposes establishment of Sports Hostels to run various games in a phased manner, wherein the selection of players would be transparent after fixing proper standards and criteria.
The draft also proposes setting up of Academies for promoting excellence in the games in which the State’s sportspersons have performed exceedingly well at the National and International level.
As per the draft, the Day Boarding Centres would also be setup in collaboration with Sports Authority of India (SAI) to provide coaching to the budding sportspersons of the State.
Sources informed that the draft also proposes the establishment of Sports Science Centre to help the sportspersons receive special medical attention, treatment and health packages.
Moreover, the draft proposes classification of games in three categories of A, B and C under Olympic and Non-Olympic Charter, which would be reviewed from time to time depending upon the relative performance, status and popularity of the various disciplines.
The Sports Policy also proposes to draft new qualification for the recruitment of good quality coaches with adequate promotional avenues, which would involve a system to make sports officers and coaches accountable and answerable.
The Policy also promises to assess the fitness and the skill of the coaches after every five years and make it mandatory for coaches to attend national level training programme after every five years.
The most important proposal drafted in the J&K Sports Policy is the awards and incentives to outstanding sportspersons to compensate for the expenses incurred on diet, training, preparation and for deprivation suffered by them due to their devotion and service to sports. The prestigious awards include Sher-e-Kashmir Award, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award, Parshuram Award, Brig Rajinder Singh Award for Men and Madr-e-Meharban Award for Women, besides Chief Minister’s Gold Rolling Trophy for Sports Associations and scholarships to sportspersons.
The Policy also includes reservation of sportspersons in Professional Courses/Colleges, Recruitment of Outstanding Sportspersons and State Award to outstanding Sportspersons.
It is pertinent to mention here that the draft has been framed after the Minister for Sports Taj Mohi-ud-Din held a series of meetings with the experts in the elitist Sports Agencies of the State and after threadbare discussions with the administrators and officials of his departments. The draft also considered the report of the team which had visited many State’s of the Country with regard to gaining knowledge over the Sports Policies of other States, way back in the year 2007-08.