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                                         DRAFT  STATE  SPORTS  POLICY  2007

            INTRODUCTION

1.1              Sports, games and physical fitness has been a vital component since the time of ancient civilization as revealed by a vast range of highly developed indigenous games and martial arts. The intrinsic linkage between sports and games and the human quest for excellence is recognized.

1.1.2        The Department of Sports and Youth Affairs further acknowledges the importance of making every youth, both urban and rural, to actively participate in sports, games, physical education and youth activities towards achieving a good health, a high degree of physical fitness, increased performance in academics, accelerated individual productivity and overall development  of their personality. Such activities are also a means of value addition to the social responsibilities when the potential human resources are moulded into a positive force. Achieving excellence in sports, besides broadbasing sports and physical education, and creation of necessary infrastructure is the motto of the State Sports Policy 2007.

1.2.      Modern sports and games, especially where the youths are more inclined and physical suitably built will be given additional thrust and intensified. Priority sports disciplines will also be determined like-wise. Non priority disciplines will also continue to get encouragement and assistance so as to popularize these areas also. 

1.3.      Traditional & Indigenous games, such as Archery, Nohsakyriat, Khu-khrong, Gando Makkal Pala would be given due recognition. The State  government will gear up itself  to spread their popularity to every district, block and important centres.

1.4.      While sports-related activities are considered important aspects of overall youth     development, yet there is an intrinsic aspect whereby the youths of our State    should be guided to become responsible citizens of today and the pillars of our   society tomorrow. Towards this goal, youth festivals, awareness programmes on    culture, HIV AIDS, environment, social malaises, career guidance, leadership            training, national integration and such like are required to be conducted. Therefore, a holistic approach will be adopted to develop both the physical and  the intellectual capabilities of    the youths.  

I.          AIMS & OBJECTIVES 

i)          To achieve mass participation in physical education in order to promote the overall  sports culture in the State and to achieve good health.

ii)         To identify and groom young sports talents in order to achieve excellence in sports   and also youth activities and games. 

iii)        To promote youth as a positive and dynamic force and mould their character and all-     round personality development for full realization of individual potentials so that     productive and progressive youths become assets to the society and contributes effectively in the social upliftment of the State. 

iv)        To broadbase sports, games and physical education right from Block Level upto the  State headquarters so that every youth is afforded a chance to exhibit inherent talents. 

v)         To undertake required infrastructure development for promotion of sports, games and youth activities with efforts to spread such infrastructure right from Village to Blocks   to District headquarters and State headquarters. 

vi)        To promote traditional games of the State like Archery Nohsakhyriat, Khu-Khrong,      Gando Makkal Pala so that they are preserved and popularized. 

II.        METHODOLOGY

A)        Creation of infrastructure

1)         State Level :-

            State Level Sports Training Complexes with the following facilities will be created     for regular training, practice and competitions.

a)         Outdoor Stadium with synthetic athletic track and allied facilities for players and             trainers, having separate enclosures VIP, media para-medics, medical and other               necessary infrastructure. with a standard football ground inside the track.

b)         Separate ground for Cricket, Hockey, Archery Range, Basketball, Volleyball .shall       be considered within the Sports Complex.

c)         Fully developed Indoor Stadium for multi disciplinary games like Table Tennis,   Badminton, Boxing amongst others.

d)         All weather standard Swimming Pool

e)         Cycling Vellodrome.

f)          Indoor Hall for accommodating multi-gym, weight lifting, gymnastics, contact games like martial arts and fitness equipments will assume priority. Such State Level Sports Complexes will be exclusively under the control and management of the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs which shall ensure that such facilities so created are not used for non-sporting activities.

2)         District Level :-

            To augment the already existing sports infrastructure, the creation of turfed playfields/stadia/and tennis and basketball courts in the State particularly at the district level will be encouraged. Therefore, in order to expand developed stadias/playfields, one District Sports Complex, comprising multi-disciplinary playing surfaces with ancillary facilities starting with Athletic track to Archery, Volleyball, Basketball, Swimming Pool etc. will be planned to be created and developed at the various District headquarters. Where partial facilities already exists, upgradation to a full fledged Complex will be undertaken. Subsequently, such Sports Complexes will be developed in the Sub Divisions, Blocks and important centrally located smaller towns and villages once the district level Complexes are completed. The management of such Complexes will be vested with the District Sports Officers, provided  adequate resources for maintenance is available.

3)         Development of Playfields/Courts in remote areas :-

            Priority will also be given in developing playgrounds/courts in smaller towns and villages for broadbasing sports and games particularly in rural areas. The District Sports Officers will prioritize the proposal to create and upgrade playfield , depending on the popularity of the games in the local area on an annual basis and which will be fully developed to augment sports infrastructures and activities in that area. The playfields to be developed will be prioritized so as to ensure uniformity district-wise.

4)         Sports infrastructure development in the Educational Institutions :-

            To ensure that education should not be academic centric, it would be the effort of the government to include sports and physical education in the school, college and university curriculum.

a)         Educational and campers that have playfields will be considered for improvement so also the educational institutions that have adequate unutilized space.

b)         Deputing school/college teachers for courses in Physical Education. The issue of posting/deploying fully trained Physical Education Teachers in schools will be   taken up in consultation with the Department of Education.

c)         Arranging coaching programmes and clinics at the school and college levels both for  students and teachers in-charge of sports.

d)         In case a full time Physical Education Teachers are not available, a system may be   devised to depute such teachers on a rotation basis.

e)         Sports and Physical Education as a compulsory subjects in all Educational          Institutions :-

            With a view to integrate Physical Education and Sports into the mainstream education, it is important to include Physical Education as an integral part of the academic curriculum. Once Physical Education is incorporated as a compulsory subject in the schools it will empower the young students to know and practise about Physical Education in its full value, importance, intricacies and the health benefits that they can derive in understanding physical education and participating in games and sports, and the lifelong value of living a full life free from sickness and disease.. Towards this end adequate fully trained Physical Education Teachers (PETs) are required to be appointed to recognised schools. It may not be possible to deploy  the PETs to all schools at one go, but this can be done in a phased manner, the PETs will be deployed in all the schools located at the State headquarters, districts and sub-divisions. Once the PETs are in place, the subject of study will be taken up and marks are awarded like any other subject in the curriculum. In case of the initial shortage of PETs, a cluster of schools may be under the charge of one PET.

5)         Preservation of Playfields and Open Spaces :-

            Preservation of available land for playgrounds is a pre-requisite for development of required infrastructure. The State Govt. will make efforts to ensure, that the existing playfields/courts/stadia are preserved for sports activities both at the Community and Educational Institutions level. Existing open spaces available and fit for development into playfields/stadia but which is yet to be taken possession of, or yet to be developed will be preserved, if necessary, after following necessary formalities.

6)         Development of Separate Arena for other Community/Social Programmes :-

            The existing practice of organizing various other social programmes, like Rock Concerts/Trade Fairs/Religious gatherings etc. besides sports and games in the stadia/ playfields has caused the playgrounds a lot of damage and sometimes even leads to injuries to sportspersons. The State Government therefore, reiterates to develop separate arenas, specifically for such social programmes with enclosures consequently to keep the stadia /playfields meant for sports and games exclusively for such purposes to prevent damage, disruptions to trainees and above all the ambience it requires.

III)      TOURNAMENT/COMPETITION SUPPORT –

            In order to sustain and develop sports competitions in the State, the State Govt. shall extend financial aid to various State Sports Associations, Clubs and the Schools prioritized in the following manner:

a)         State Level Sports Associations that are duly recognized by the Deptt. through the Directorate of Sports & Youth Affairs and affiliated to the Meghalaya State Olympic Association for selection of talented players, training and participation at various National/Regional Tournaments and hosting of National Level Tournaments especially in the thrust area sports disciplines. The concerned Associations shall involve the Deptt. during its bidding  process.

b)         District Level, Sub Divisional Level and Block Level Sports Associations will be identified and recognized to organize tournaments/coaching camps and clinics to Officials and funded suitably to carry out sports activities as per the prioritized disciplines.

c)         Schools/Colleges that are taking up Inter-School/College tournaments or Youth Welfare Programmes.

d)         Individuals who have been selected to represent the state and even country as a support for travel, incidental expenditures, equipments, training and allied requirements.

e)         Besides the above, Associations/Clubs that are taking up sports and youth welfare/ adventure programmes and are proximately located to many villages/towns will also be aided financially.

f)          Costly equipments will also be considered for procurement to various Associations/Clubs as per the priority list indicated above and provided funds are available.

            While extending financial aid to various Associations/Clubs preference will be given to those Organisations that have been able to win laurels for the State at the International/National & Regional levels respectively. Associations that have committed financial irregularities, misconduct, and that fail to submit Utilisation Certificates shall be debarred from getting further assistance. The application for financial aid shall be categorized into Olympic and Non-Olympic events and preference shall be given to the Olympic events. All applications for grants shall be routed through the District Sports Officers except the State Level Associations/MSOA which may submit proposals directly to the Directorate.

IV)       IDENTIFICATION OF TALENT :-

            It is recognized that the pool of sports talent arises primarily from the school level and thence onwards to the college and university levels.

i)          Young children at the Primary, Upper Primary and Secondary Schools/College Level, will be initiated  to take to sports and games and once they show the inclination for a particular game, the children would be taken to proper orientation and specialized training, while ensuring that the academic development is not impaired.

ii)         The Deptt. of Education in collaboration/consultation with the Sports and Youth Affairs, may initiate the step to deploy PETs at the Primary, Upper Primary and Secondary Schools to initiate children to sports, games and physical education and initial training to talents identified in the schools.

iii)        Special programmes of competitions exclusively for –

            a) Primary Schools (b) Secondary Schools (c) College Level youths to identify talent and to give opportunity for every young promising sportsperson to take part in games.

iv)        Talent aptitude test called battery test will also be initiated for the school children to identify talent and proper grooming so that they are able to exhibit their potential and bring laurels to the State.

v)         Every effort will be made to tap the potential talent amongst the non-school going children by organizing tournaments through the sports associations and youth clubs both at the urban and rural areas.

vi)        The Deptt. of Sports and Youth Affairs will initiate steps to also deploy the PTI/ PETs at the grassroots level, as far as possible, to initiate Physical Education amongst the youth clubs and schools in the area and to initiate the first step of identifying young talents from the rural areas. The PETs will be responsible for mobilizing various individuals and youth clubs, organizing Inter-School and Inter-Club Tournaments, thus providing an opportunity to tap rural talents. The PTI/PET will also liaise with the District Sports Officer/Inspector of Schools for bigger tournaments and youth-related programmes.

V)        1.TRAINING AND COACHING –

            Identification of raw talent is one thing and moulding them into first-rate performers is quite another. Therefore, unless the new talent is nurtured and groomed, the new talent will die a natural death. Hence, in order to groom the available talents, it is reiterated that proper Coaching and Training to players will be adopted as follows :-

a)         Coaching at the Block Level – Once the identified talents are collected by the PETs, the specialized trainer in the particular discipline will be assigned the task of imparting a specialized coaching at least for a duration of one month. The initial Coaching programmes will be carried out twice in a year, which could be imparted separately or in collaboration with the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs.

b)         Coaching on a regular basis – It would be the endeavor of the Deptt. to assign at least one Coach per thrust area discipline to be stationed at the District headquarters who would carry on the Coaching programmes on a regular basis to the selected players.

c)         Coaching before major tournaments – Once the players are selected to represent the District/State, for competitions outside the District/State, a major Coaching programme shall be imparted.

d)         Personal Cards –

i)          The strongest link in the system of Coaching and Training is monitoring. Therefore, it is deemed fit and proper that a system of “Personal Cards” should be introduced for all sportspersons in order to monitor their progress in their sports career. The criteria would be as follows :-

             The starting point would be a system of record keeping in respect of each sportsperson. This card would indicate physical characteristics, like height, weight, age etc. and the mode of discovery of talent, etc. and a whole set of other details which would be necessary for the purpose. The monitoring of such cards would be done by the concerned Coaches and maintained by the respective Sports Associations, the details of which should be submitted to the Director of Sports and Youth Affairs, on a half yearly period.

i)         While the cards should be in the custody of the sportspersons concerned, two other copies should be maintained; one in the Office of the respective Association and the other in the Deptt. of Sports and Youth Affairs. Updation of information should be carried out on a quarterly period. In view of the large number of cards involved, the obvious thing is to computerize the data. Therefore, the State Sports Associations and other bodies would be asked to recognize the introduction of such a system of personal cards in order to ensure the effectiveness of the scheme.

            The details of career graph would indicate among other things, selection to Coaching Camps, Tournaments/Championships, the achievements including records made, medals won, conferment of Awards, Scholarships won and indeed anything which has to do with the performance of the sportsperson would be entered in the card. In due course of time, it would be easy to access the information on a particular sportsperson immediately. It thus would  provide insight to the Coaches and the administrators, into the progress or decline in performance of the particular sportsperson and remedial  solutions can be sought.

VI)       SUPPORT PERSONNEL :-

            Physical Education Teachers and Coaches or Trainers forms the backbone of the physical education pyramid and sports and games development. Unless they are able to update their knowledge on the latest developments in the latest rules & techniques, and path breaking theories, the system of Coaching will remain inadequate. It is in this backdrop, the supporting personnel will  try to  keep at par with their counterpart in the rest of the country. Further support mechanism will be :

i)          In-service Refresher Courses in various thrust area disciplines.

ii)         Deputation for specialized training, seminars/conferences of repute at National   and       major International sports events.

iii)        Depute personnel to appear in qualifying examinations organized by the National            Federations/International Federations to be qualified as Umpires/Judge/Jury/   Referee/Arbitrator etc.

 iv)        Assistance may be provided for holding Training Camps for supporting Personnel         within the State by inviting eminent experts from Organisations/Coaches/Sports      Scientists of National/International repute.

 VII)     THRUST AREAS :-

            It is considered important to prioritize the sports disciplines out of the multitude of sports disciplines that the modern day offers. Firstly, to suit the demands and popularity with the youths of the State and also which are more suited to the body structure of the people of the State. It is also necessary to prioritise the disciplines so that more focused resources and efforts can be canalized in that direction to achieve realistic results while at the same time not neglecting the non-prioritised disciplines which shall continue to be patronized. The following disciplines are considered most suited for prioritization and hence identified as “Thrust Areas”.

1) Football (2) Athletics (3) Boxing (4) Karate (5) Judo (6) Taekwondo (7) Archery (8) Table Tennis (9) Badminton (10)Gymnastics (11) Wushu (12) Kick Boxing.

            General Category :-

1) Cricket (2) Golf (3) Swimming (4) Basketball (5) Volleyball (6) Lawn Tennis (7) Soft Ball (8) Kabbadi (9) Kho-Kho (10) Chess (11) Carrom (12) Equestrian.

            While participation is not restricted only to the above, yet it is felt necessary to prioritize selected sports disciplines while at the same time, exploring the possibilities to expand to new games when the situation so warrants.

            In pursuance of the promotion of the disciplines in the thrust areas, efforts will be made to create the desired infrastructure supported by the proper training and  equipments and with  upgradation on a regular basis.

VIII)    SPORTS ACADEMY :-

a)         The State Govt.  will take steps to involve Stakeholders in sponsoring the setting up of a few small to medium size Sports Academies. Initially, these academies will specialize in two or three prioritized disciplines and with the growth of the Academy, more disciplines would be added. The selected players to the Academy will be given a long term continuous coaching under the supervision of professional Coaches and the trainees  will be accommodated in the Academy itself. The academic schooling of the trainees will be done in the general educational institutions and a system of scholarship will be in place to sponsor the academic expenses of the students. As an incentive to Private Sector Corporate Houses that are forthcoming with friends to construct and maintain such Sports Academics, Tax Relief on Income Tax Returns will be accorded.

IX)       INCENTIVES

i)          Adequate Incentives, to be determined by the Govt. in the Sports and Youth Affairs Deptt. will be provided to those sportspersons who excel themselves in the sports competitions at the recognized District, State, Regional, National and International Level Tournaments in the form of Special Scholarships and Cash Awards to motivate the young

players to work harder and bring more laurel to the State. Excellence in  sports  is the motto in providing Cash Incentives to the young achievers in this field.

ii)         The State Govt. will also devise a Youth Awards Scheme, the amount to be determined by the Govt. in the Sports and Youth Affairs Department to be awarded to those exemplary  young achievers in any field, be it academics, crafts, singing, dance, drama, musical or any field of youth activity (ages being 13-35 years) and social services. The Award shall be given away on an annual basis, based on applications routed the respective District Sports Officers.

iii)        Special Quota for employment in the Govt. jobs :-

            The State Govt. has already allocated 2% of all Govt. jobs to sportspersons who has represented the Country/State and the District in any sports discipline vide No.PER(AR) 150/88/152  dt.30-10-2006.

iv)        Award for Coaches/Trainers :-

            The performance exhibited by the sportspersons at any level is largely the byproduct of the Trainers/Coaches besides the inherent talent of the young people. Also expansion of Physical Education at the community level, club and schools will form a mass base for participatory sports and games and in this respect, the Physical Education

Instructors have a big role to play in motivation, demonstration and leading the people irrespective of age and sex towards participatory sports  and health promotion programmes.

            Therefore, the State Govt. will devise a scheme styled as the “Award for Physical Education Teachers and Coaches” in the line of “Dronacharya Award” of the Government of India to recognize, reward and motivate those PETs/|Coaches, who have been able to achieve/bring about record breaking performances in case of Coaches at least at the National level and being able to bring about a sea change in attitude, knowledge and participation of community as a whole and young people in particular in participatory sports and games enabling the young people to metamorphose into excellent and competitive Sportspersons..

v)         Insurance :- The government will explore the possibility to set up a State Welfare Fund for the benefit of the sportspersons will be set up on the line of National Welfare Fund for sportspersons of the Government. of India.

X)        NETWORKING :-

            The Department. of Sports and Youth Affairs will adopt a policy of networking within the State, with the Meghalaya Olympic Association and the State Sports Associations including the District, Sub-Division, Block Level Associations/Clubs with special focus on the schools and colleges to promote sports and physical education in the State.

XI)       INDIGENOUS  GAMES :-

            The possess memorous traditional games that is linked to culture, way of life  recreation and past time. These games are inexpensive in nature, considering the fact that all the equipments are locally available. The government will make efforts to popularize such indigenous games. The indigenous games of the State are :-

1) Archery (2) Gando Makkal Pala (Wrestling) (3) Wapong Sika (4) Waring Bila (5) Sue Goa (6) Rongma- de.susaa (7) Kilkok-de.susaa (7) Ringdoreng bila (8) Chining napsusaa (9) An.ding Oka (10) Jakpong Pe.susaa

             The indigenous games will  be encouraged by organizing competitions at the District Sub Division, Block and important villages/towns. Dissemination of information by way of pamphlets, handouts/handbills and posters, organizing talk shows, and interviews will also be carried out.

            The State Govt. will also tie up with the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, and Tribal Affairs, Govt. of India for a possible recognition of the Indigenous Games on a wider scale, including the National Level Games.

 XII)     YOUTH  PROGRAMMES :-

            The State Govt. through the Deptt. of Sports and Youth Affairs will implement the following Youth Schemes where financial assistance and supports will be extended to various Voluntary Organisations (NGOs) engaged themselves in Youth Welfare activities.

            The Schemes are as follows :- i)          YOUTH CAMPS :- The main objective of these Camps are to impart collective training to the youth of the State for active participation incorporate living, involvement in Community Service, promotion of emotional integration and to boost the basic values of live-love, tolerance, cooperation and mutual understanding. For implementing this programme, financial support will be extended to various Youth Clubs to organize Youth Camps in all the District and Block levels of the State.

i)          NEHRU YUVA KENDRA :- This is the Scheme started by Govt.of India in 1972 and the objectives of this programme is to undertake various activities for non-student youths. Under this programme, vocational centres, social service projects, adult education, library facilities, games and cultural programme are organized in the village. The Nehru Yuva Kendra plays a role of coordinating centre between the district level agencies and the villages. Financial assistance will be extended to recognize NGOs to implement this programme. The Directorate of Sports & Youth Affairs will maintain a close rapport with Nehru Yuva Kendra.

iii)        ASSISTANCE TO VOLUNTARY ORGANISATION ENGAGED IN YOUTH WELFARE ACTIVITIES :- The main objectives of this is to encourage and strengthen the hands of those Voluntary Organisation who engage themselves in youth welfare activities. These voluntary organizations plays a vital role in promoting a spirit of national integration among youth, involving them in National building activities and in enabling them to develop their personality, become functionally efficient, economically productive and socially useful. There are more than 100 such organizations in our State. Had it not been for the commendable work of these organizations a majority of our youth today would have indulged themselves in drug abuse, delinquency, vandalism and other social evils. It is high time that the work done by these organization gets the recognition of the Govt. For the purpose, financial assistance to these deserving voluntary organizations for furtherance of their activities will be extended.

iv)        NATIONAL INTEGRATION CAMPS :- The comprehension of the unity and integrity of the country and the secular integration of the youth, is a prerequisite for their emerging as responsible citizens. Youth Camps of this nature include Inter-State Exchanges, Youth Festivals, Environment Camps and Seminars/Festivals on National/Cultural programme. Financial support will be extended to the NGOs taking up the above programme.

v)         YOUTH LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAMME :- The objectives of Youth Leadership Training Programme for the youth are to help develop amongst the non-students and rural/youths a critical awareness of their environments to inculcate a capacity to identify problems and to generate an understanding regarding the ways in which these problems can be overcome in a manner that engenders a spirit of self-reliance, develop skills and impart occupational training in order to improve the functional capabilities of youths and to encourage their participation in developmental programmes, encourage the youth to identify themselves with the needs and aspirations of the poor and deprived sections of the community and to wok with them in situations of concrete realities in such a manner that their “Leadership” does not create a social gap between them and those with whom they work and to provide opportunities of community living and of work in field situations. The idea is to enable these youths to act as catalysts of social change.

             Through this Youth Leadership Programme it will enable to give them inputs such as pride in Nationalism, the importance of tribal folk heritage and also inputs in democratic values and the function of the Govt. Also efforts of the State Govt. and other agencies to give new opportunities for the youth could be highlighted in the programme.

 vi)        ADVENTURE PROGRAMME :- In order to provide adventurous activities to the youth, the Deptt. of Sports and Youth Affairs will encourage various Clubs/Associations to organize trekking, mountaineering and other adventure activities for the students and non-students. These programme will create the spirit of adventure amongst the participants, provide opportunity to come into contact with nature, see the country side and its peoples, enrich their experience and build their character by making them live with fellow beings, away from the comfortable life and enduring difficulties and discomforts together. For implementation of this scheme, financial support will be extended by the Deptt. of Sports and Youth Affairs.

 vii)       CHIEF MINISTER YOUTH DEVELOPMENT SCHEMES :

            INTENSIVE SPORTS AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

             For both the schemes, it would be mandatory to allocate funds in the criteria of 50% for sports activities and 50% for youth affairs, so that a balance can be maintained while implementing these schemes.

XIII)    ENTREPRENEURSHIP  WORKSHOP

            It aims to create awareness amongst the youths, particularly, the unemployed youths and enlighten them about the various entrepreneurial scopes available in the region and the country and the support schemes and avenues available from the Govt. agencies and various financial institutions. It also aims to orient the youths about the proper planning, management and accounting of the projects undertaken for a successful entrepreneurship to provide self employment and economic reliance ushering in more employment to the youths of the State.

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