The Jammu and Kashmir government approved the new J&K Sports Policy, 2022, incorporating awards for excellence in sports, special cash awards for winners of international championships and annual recruitment of outstanding sportspersons.
To promote sporting culture and harness the energy of the youth in Jammu and Kashmir, the Administrative Council (AC), which met here under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, approved the roll-out of the J&K Sports Policy, 2022, an official spokesperson said.
The new policy is aimed at promoting sports in the union territory by developing sports infrastructure and incentivising sportspersons to excel in their craft, he said.
The policy strives to achieve excellence by involving all stakeholders and establishing inter-departmental synergies for composite development of sports.
The basic cannons of the policy are to ‘scout’ identify talent and catch them young; ‘engage’ ensure grassroots inclusive engagement in sports and games; ‘facilitate’ provide sports infrastructure, facilities, know-how, and training; and ‘recognise’ acknowledge the achievements and contributions through awards and further employment, the spokesperson said.
The policy incorporates various annual awards like those for excellence in sports, for sports associations, and for best coaches in different disciplines, he said.
To further motivate the UT’s sporting talent, the sports policy announces special cash awards to the winners in Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Championship, World Cup, championships, Youth Olympic Games, South Asian Games, and World University Games or Championships in the range of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1 crore, the spokesman said.
Winners in all recognised national competitions and national school games in various sports disciplines will be granted specified scholarships, he said.
Moreover, special emphasis has been laid to meet the sporting needs of the specially-abled through sufficient infrastructure and training facilities, the official said.
The department will also organise several para-games at district and UT levels.
The policy provides for annual recruitment of outstanding sportspersons achieving podium finish and participation in recognised international and national competitions, he said.
Expertise of outstanding players will also be utilised to impart specialised training and coaching to budding players and athletes across the UT.
Through inter-departmental convergences, new vistas of employment will be opened for the youth in the fields of tourism, education, and adventure and winter sports, the spokesperson said. ( PTI )
