Govt to set up sports school in each district of the country

Sports training will now be available in every district of India. The govt plans to set up sports schools to provide specialized sports training along with normal education in all 640 districts of the country. Chetan Chauhan reports.

Sports training will now be available in every district of India.

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The government plans to set up sports schools to provide specialized sports training along with normal education in all 640 districts of the country to prepare a pool of sportsperson to enhance India's performance in international sporting events.

The ministry of sports and youth affairs has outlined an ambitious inter-ministerial programme to set up district level sports schools, in which young sporting talent from the area would be admitted.

The talent would be hunted by talent scouts to be appointed under ongoing ministry scheme Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan, in which the government provides money to developing a sports field in every panchayat of the country. In every district, around 100 children would be identified for free of cost education and sports training in these schools.

But, the government will not be able to implement the project with support of the corporate sector except in backward and naxal affected districts.

The ministry has proposed to open up these schools in Public Private Partnership mode and is willing to allocate around Rs 32 crore for building these schools. Around 60 % of the allotted money would be used to build good quality sporting facilities in schools for 10 Olympic Sports, in which India has a chance to win medals.

A ministry's proposal says that these schools would be set up on pattern of Central or Navodaya Schools for educational curriculum and sports training would be provided by experts from Sports Authority of India (SAI) including a bio-medic for each school.
The students who excel in sports would be eligible for admission at the next level - Centres of Excellence. The ministry plans to set up 25 such centres across India by upgrading SAI's 12 existing sporting facilities and developing 13 new ones.

Along with these students, "elite athletes" would also be trained at these international quality centers. "The juniors in company of seniors will hone their skills in a way not available to them in past," the ministry's proposal said.

The ministry also wants to appoint a coach for 10 sportsperson in these centers and also provide them regular international exposure. Best athletes from these centers will participate in national and international events and would become a pool to qualify for 2020 Olympics.

To encourage children to take up sports, the ministry wants the police, para-military and Army to assure a government job to every senior secondary pass-out of the district level sports school. Those admitted in centers of excellence should get a higher grade government job, the ministry in its proposal to be implemented from 12th five year plan has said.