Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday lauded corporates coming forward to back India’s most popular talent hunt initiative in athletics that unearthed champions like Neeraj Chopra and Dutee Chand.
The National Inter District Junior Athletics Meet (NIDJAM) is a talent hunt programme that involves young athletes from nearly 500 districts of India with over 50,000 young athletes participating in it every year. It has been running for more than a decade.
Rijiju on Friday unveiled Nestle Milo as a title sponsor to NIDJAM and calling it a good model for other disciplines to follow.
The initiative is a platform for boys and girls in the Under-14 and Under-16 age groups to showcase their talent across 10 athletics disciplines. NIDJAM in the past has unearthed champions like Neeraj Chopra, Dutee Chand, Navjeet Kaur Dhillon and V Subha.
“At a time when Government of India under the leadership of Hon. Prime Minister is getting set to launch the game-changing initiative ‘The Fit India Movement’, it is heartening to know corporate entities are backing a talent hunt initiative that involves young athletes from nearly 500 districts of India,” Rijiju said.
“NIDJAM will be a good model for all other disciplines to follow as well. I congratulate the Athletics Federation of India on their good work and I am certain this partnership with Nestle Milo will further strengthen the program and its outcome will be visible to all,” he added.
AFI president Adille Sumariwalla and IOA chief Narinder Dhruv Batra were also present during the occasion.
{{/usCountry}}AFI president Adille Sumariwalla and IOA chief Narinder Dhruv Batra were also present during the occasion.
{{/usCountry}}“This year, we are taking NIDJAM to newer heights by not only increasing the platform’s reach to over 400 districts, but we will also be extending financial support to over 100 district associations across the country as a way of recognizing and rewarding their hard work,” said Sumariwalla.