Amending SRO-349 not enough to serve cause
*Iconic sportspersons receive curt treatment
Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 26: Notwithstanding the commitment of Narendra Modi led Central Government and Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha led J&K UT Administration, with regard to promotion of sports and games, the much needed J&K’s Sports Policy is nowhere in place despite a lapse of around eight years since the preliminary exercise for the formation of Policy was initiated in the year 2013.
One fails to understand as to why the Government of Jammu and Kashmir is reluctant in framing its own Sports Policy despite the fact that the Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman had announced an allocation of Rs 513 crore particularly for sports for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for 2021-22.
Sources said that the previous Sports Policy draft prepared in 2013 had suggested various measures for the upliftment of sports and games and providing necessary facilities to the players so that they could match with the best in the business, adding that after the draft was fully prepared, the autonomous sports body had decided to put it in the public domain for suggestions to bring any further improvement but that did not happen. The draft was not implemented due to lack of consensus.
Sources further said that the Sports Council is still working on the preparation of new Sports Policy Draft with an aim to address concerns of all stakeholders.
It is learnt that the Council has studied models of the Sports Policy draft of various States to have an exact idea of what should be done to make the draft sportsperson-friendly.
Now, with the recent announcement of the Lieutenant Governor that Sports Policy will be framed just in a month’s time, the sportspersons of the Union Territory are desperately waiting for the implementation of the same.
Experts believe that comprehensive Sports Policy can only contribute in the making of a desirable sports structure in the Union Territory. Unfortunately, we do find that almost all the agencies including the Department of Education, J&K State Sports Council, Department of Youth Services and Sports, Nehru Yuva Kendras and various Sports Associations working in a haphazard manner in their own respective ways but to no avail and ultimate purpose of sports is getting defeated in this way.
“All these agencies need to be brought under one umbrella if we want to make headway in this direction. Taking both education and sports together would cater to the development of organic, cognitive and conative aspects of human personality. Education must very unfailingly encompass the application of Physical Education and sports for the development of wholesome personality. For making a healthy Sports Policy involvement of healthy sportspersons is the need of the hour,” experts reckon.
Rather than constituting a healthy Sports Policy, the Government has ammended SRO-349, which is not enough to serve the cause of promoting sports.
As per the amended rules, now the outstanding sportspersons from five more games/sports namely Baseball, Net Ball, Pencak Silat, Triathlon and Ice-Hockey shall be eligible for appointment in various J&K Government jobs.
However, it has been observed that outstanding sportspersons have been receiving an indifferent treatment with regard to the handling of their deputations for promoting sports in the Union Territory.
In absence of the healthy and comprehensive Sports Policy they are sometimes even being harassed by their immediate bosses or higher authorities for serving the Associations/Organisations in the capacity of selectors, coaches, trainers, managers or even administrators.
“Outstanding sportspersons never deserve such a treatment. They deserve a better deal. They are the icons of the Union Territory and need to be dealt with respect and honour and ought to be let free to promote sports. The players should have the liberty to make full use of the special casual leave,” said Chief Coach of a prominent sports discipline on the condition of anonymity.
He said proper utilisation of services of outstanding sportspersons should be a prime point in the Sports Policy as it has been observed that top players of UT in Government offices are transferred in far-flung areas to no avail, defeating the purpose of sports promotion.
The Sports Policy should aim at rewarding the outstanding sportspersons to appreciate and acknowledge their contribution so that new talent is lured towards the sports activities.
Moreover, the Government needs to appoint outstanding sportspersons, if not all, but atleast State and Sher-e-Kashmir Awardees in various Government departments, so that they are no more left in the lurch.
According to the reliable sources, the States’ which have a good name and fame in the field of sports, award outstanding sportspersons with big cash prizes, besides other incentives and perks.
On the one hand, Haryana Government presents cash award in crores to medal winners in Asian Games, not to talk of Olympics, while on the other hand, J&K has yet to have a provision of honouring sporting icons with bigger cash awards.
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