NEW DELHI: Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore emphasized on the need of corporate sponsorships in building the Indian sporting ecosystem at the ‘Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Global Sports Summit Scorecard’ event in the city on Thursday, Press Trust of India reports.
When it comes to the government’s initiatives, Rathore confirmed that it is mulling to start a talent development hunt for children between the age of 8 and 10 and provide the best ones scholarships to pursue their dreams.
“At any given time there are 10 crore (100 million) students in schools. We will partner with school boards, state governments and even the armed forces. They will identify and map the physical fitness of 8-10-year-olds based on a simple test,” Rathore was quoted as saying at the event.
Out of these 100 million, 5000 children will identified. In the next stage, 1000 of them will be selected on which super advance tests will be conducted.
“The right physical talent for the right sport will be identified and Rs 5 lakh scholarship will be given to them for eight years so that by the time the child is 16 years he is ready to be a champion. This is the time to invest in sports,” he added.
Rathore mentioned that the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) is available for all potential Olympic medallists and not just those athletes affiliated with Public Sector Units (PSUs). As a result, “there is no dearth of money” when it comes to funding the training of athletes.
“From 1990 till date, all Olympic medallist and potential medallist have been funded by the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF). It’s a fund that was largely supported by the PSUs, now we are opening it to the entire country,” the minister continued.
He also revealed that the government is keen on organizing a manufacturers’ summit this year, where international companies along with their Indian counterparts will come together and suggest the government on policy modifications that are required to fuel manufacturing sport equipment in India.
“By 2019, the sports industry will reach USD 75 billion, it is not only good for individuals but also for the corporates. This is the time to be a part of the Indian sports story,” Rathore signed off.
