Saying that the Government is making all out efforts to promote sports activities in the State by providing requisite facilities to the youth, Minister for Youth Services & Sports Molvi Imran Raza Ansari said these would provide opportunities to them for honing their talents so that they can compete at National & International levels and bring laurels to the state.The Minister was speaking at the meeting convened here today to discuss the convergence of activities of Department of Youth Services & Sports with Rural Development Department.Minister for Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Mr. Abdul Haq and Minister of State for Youth Services &Sports Mr. Sunil Sharma was also present in the meeting.Commissioner Secretary, Rural Development Mr. Khursheed Ahmed Shah, Commissioner Secretary, Youth Services & Sports Mr. Hilal Ahmed Parray, Secretary, Sports Council Mr. Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra, Director General, Youth Services & Sports Mr. Sheikh Fayaz, Mission Director, NRLM Dr. G.N Qasba, Director Rural Development, Kashmir Mr. Gazzanfer Ali and other senior officers of the department attended the meeting.
Molvi Ansari directed the concerned officers to work out a comprehensive mechanism to ensure that the program of convergence is executed in a smooth manner by working out all the modalities involved in the infrastructural development like development of playgrounds, cricket fields and other requisite sports facilities. He asked them to come up with detailed programme for carrying out various sports events and tournaments across the state ensuring massive participation of youth, saying that it would go a long way in inculcating sense of sportsmanship and team spirit among youth.Directing the concerned for constituting a committee of officers from the concerned departments and Sports Council for preparing a viable plan for undertaking infrastructural developmental activities, the Minister also asked them to come up with a calendar of sports activities to be undertaken at districts, Panchayats and village levels across the state.
Stressing the need for organizing sports events on regular basis in collaboration with Rural Development department, Mr. Abdul Haq said that RDD would contribute financially in organizing these events under the IEC Component of various flagship schemes. He also called for organizing awareness programmes to sensitize the masses about the schemes launched for their welfare, besides taking steps for their speedy implementation.The Minister said that the Department of RDD will assist the State Sports Council for creation of cricket turfs in every village of the state on 60:40 sharing basis wherein the Department will contribute in labour component under MGNREGA.
He said the department will also assist the Youth Services & Sports department under various schemes and flagship programs under convergence to increase sports activities at Panchayat level so that every youth is provided an opportunity to participate in sports activities.It was given out in the meeting that the sports activities would be undertaken on a major scale at every Tehsil headquarter and Panchayat ensuring massive participation of the youth. The water sports events initially would be organized at Dal Lake which would later be carried out to Mansbal, Pahalgam, Doda and Jammu, the meeting was informed.