The Centre has proposed to transfer ‘sports’ from the state list to the concurrent list of the Constitution to achieve a national benchmark in the field with the support of state governments.
The concurrent list includes items in the seventh schedule of the Constitution, on which both the Centre and states have the power to legislate. At present, sports is a state subject. The Centre provides funds and consultancy to states for sporting events, lays down guidelines for national sports federations, and facilitates coaching and selections, among others.
In a recent letter to the state government, the union ministry of youth affairs and sports states that placing sports in the concurrent list will help promote sporting excellence, physical education, child and youth development, gender equity, and economic opportunities.
“It is not a new proposal; the central government first mooted such a proposal in 1988, but it was withdrawn in the absence of a consensus among states,” said a senior official of the state sports department on condition of anonymity.
Transferring sports to the concurrent list will enable the Centre to formulate a comprehensive policy to create a national sports vision, on the lines of the National Education Policy and Right to Education Act, the letter said.
{{/usCountry}}Transferring sports to the concurrent list will enable the Centre to formulate a comprehensive policy to create a national sports vision, on the lines of the National Education Policy and Right to Education Act, the letter said.
{{/usCountry}}“On the chief minister’s directive, the sports department is examining various aspects of the proposal. The state had earlier expressed its disagreement to such proposals in 1991, 1997 and 2005,” the official said.
He said the state government has given cooperation to national schemes, such as Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan, Rajiva Gandhi Khel Scheme or Khelo India, despite enacting the Rajasthan Sports Act 2005.
“The state government has sought information on the proposed legislation that aims to transfer sports to the concurrent list,” the official said.