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PM Modi stressed sports’ importance for India’s growth, launching the National Sports Policy to aid sports from schools to the Olympics, with new funding and stricter rules.
PM Narendra Modi at Red Fort
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called sports a key part of India’s path to becoming a developed nation. He said the new National Sports Policy (NSP) will support sports development from the smallest schools to the elite Olympics.
In his Independence Day speech at the Red Fort, the PM noted that the country has changed a lot from the days when sports were not seen as a good career choice.
“Sports is an essential aspect of development and I am happy, that from the time when parents used to scoff at children spending time in sports, we have reached a point where it has changed. Now, parents are happy if children take interest in sports,” Modi said, with guests like double Olympic-medallist shooter Manu Bhaker applauding.
“I consider it a good omen. It fills me with pride to see sports finding a space in Indian families. It is good for India’s future,” he added.
The NSP, approved by the cabinet on July 1, aims to hold administrators accountable and establish processes for ethical practices, fair play, and healthy competition in sports.
It includes creating national agencies and inter-ministerial committees for quick action and problem resolution. The policy also suggests new funding methods like ‘Adopt an Athlete’, ‘Adopt a District’, ‘Adopt a Venue’, ‘One Corporate-One Sport’, and ‘One PSU-One State’, where possible.
“To promote sports, we have come up with the National Sports Policy after several decades. It would ensure the development of sports, from school to the Olympics. We will develop an ecosystem, whether it is coaching, fitness or infrastructure. We will create an ecosystem that penetrates the farthest corner of the country,” the PM declared.
Soon after the NSP, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya pushed for and got the National Sports Governance Bill passed in Parliament. This bill provides stricter regulations for National Sports Federations and a clear dispute resolution system.
India’s performance at the Olympics has been lacking, with the 2021 Tokyo Games yielding seven medals, including one gold, being its best result so far.
The Prime Minister also stressed that fitness is a crucial part of sports culture and that the country needs to tackle obesity by reducing oil consumption.
“When I talk of fitness and sports, I want to talk about obesity, which is a huge problem for the country. It is predicted that every third person is expected to be obese in future, we have to reduce consumption of oil to win this war on obesity,” he said.
(With PTI Inputs)
A cricket enthusiast whose dreams of playing for India paved the way for a compelling journey in journalism. With a comprehensive coverage spanning international and domestic cricket across formats, I have had …Read More
A cricket enthusiast whose dreams of playing for India paved the way for a compelling journey in journalism. With a comprehensive coverage spanning international and domestic cricket across formats, I have had … Read More
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