Chandigarh, July 7: To promote sports and restore old glory of the state, Punjab Government has decided to engage one lakh sportspersons with sports facilities in next three years as compared with present capacity of twenty thousand.
Disclosing this here today, Director Sports Punjab Mr. Davinder Pal Singh Kharbanda said that the state government has notified Sports Policy 2019 to give more incentives to the sportspersons. This policy envisages that more and more numbers of sportspersons to be engaged in sports arena so that broad base for selection of quality product could be established. He said that according to the Sports Policy, the Sports Department will increase the number of sportspersons to 1,00,000 in next three years as compare to 20,000 at present by engaging them with various sports activities. “For this purpose, 25,000 players to be involved every year by the department with the help of 18,000 volunteers in the villages and blocks such as retired army officials, DPEs, PETs and sportspersons apart from its coaches” he said, adding that the players will be contacted and they will be engaged on roll through these volunteers. Some sports videos will also be displayed in the villages and volunteers to inspire and motivate youngsters in rural pits of the state towards sports.
Reiterating the commitment of state government to probable and concerted efforts for the expansion of sports activities, Mr. Kharbanda said that sports department already running the coaching centres, day scholar wings, residential wings and academies in the state to promote and encourage players towards sports. The establishment of Punjab State Institute of Sports (PIS) is a milestone towards the upliftment of sports in the state as 1800 elite sportspersons have been admitted to give them scientific training in these 12 Centres of Excellence in all over the state where free lodging and boarding, education, training and medical facilities are being provided.
