Lok Sabha Question No. 2615 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-15
Subject: Support for Poor Sports Students
Ministry: YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS
Asked by: SRINIVAS KESINENI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS (DEPARTMENT OF SPORTS)

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION No.2615 TO BE ANSWERED ON 15.12.2015

Support for Poor Sports Students

## 2615. SHRI KESINENI NANI:

Will the Minister of YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  any  programme  for  supporting students from economically weaker backgrounds to take up sports and represent India globally;
- (b) whether sports are being encouraged at school level, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether the Government has any plans to set up sports complex and  sporting  hubs  in  the  State  of  Andhra  Pradesh  for  promoting Olympic Sports, if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS (SHRI SARBANANDA SONOWAL)

- (a) Preparation and training of Indian sportspersons including those belonging to economically weaker sections of society and participation in international sports events is taken care of under the Ministry's  scheme  of  Assistance  to  National  Sports  Federations. Expenditure on diet, food supplements, sports equipments, travel and stay  etc.  is  met  from  the  grants  sanctioned  under  scheme  of Assistance to National Sports Federations.
- (b)  As  Sports  is  a  State  subject,  the  primary  responsibility  for promoting sports including encouraging sports among students at the

school level is that of the States.  However, Department of Sports and the Sports Authority of India supplement the efforts of the States. School Games Federation of India (SGFI) and Association of Indian Universities (AIU) have been recognized by the Government of India as National Sports Promotion Organizations (NSPOs) and are eligible for  the  assistance  as  is  available  to  National  Sports  Federations (NSFs). For  identifying  talent  and  nurturing  and  training  the  identified talent in the age group of 8 to 18 years, which is mainly from schools and colleges, the Sports Authority of India is running the following schemes: (i) National Sports Talent Contest (NSTC): The main objective of the scheme is to identify gifted and talented sportspersons among school children in the age group of 8-14 years. (ii) Army Boys Sports Companies (ABSC) is implemented in collaboration with the   Army.  Children in the age group of 8-16 years are imparted scientific training to achieve excellence at national and international levels.  The scheme also provides job opportunities in the Indian Army. (iii) Special Area Games (SAG): This Scheme follows an area-specific approach to scout and nurture talent for modern competitive games and sports from tribal, rural, coastal and hilly areas of the country. The main objective of the scheme is to train talented and meritorious sportspersons in the age group of 12-18 years. (iv) SAI Training Centres (STC): Under this scheme, talented youth in the age group of 12-18 years are given the option to join the scheme on residential or non-residential basis.

(v) Centres of Excellence (COX): The main objective of this scheme is to  identify  and  train  outstanding  sportspersons  who  are  medal prospects for the country in international competitions.

Trainees under the above-mentioned schemes are provided with stipend,  sports  kit,  accidental  insurance,  as  well  as  competition exposure.

(c) & (d): Since 'Sports' is a State subject, it is the responsibility of the State Government to set up sports complex and sporting hubs in the State of Andhra Pradesh for promoting Olympic sports. However, the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, supplementing the efforts of State Government, has provided financial assistance to the State of Andhra Pradesh, for following sports projects under its Urban Sports Infrastructure Scheme (USIS):

(Rs. in crore)

|   S. No. | Project                                                                                                            | Year    |   Grant approved |   Grant released |
|----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------|------------------|------------------|
|        1 | Construction of multi- purpose indoor hall at Agricultural College, Bapatla, Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh       | 2013-14 |              6   |              4.2 |
|        2 | Laying of synthetic athletic track at Acharya Nagarjuna University, Nagarjunanagr, District Guntur, Andhra Pradesh | 2014-15 |              5.5 |              1   |

Further, during 2015-16, the following two projects have been approved  for  sanction  under  Urban  Sports  Infrastructure  Scheme (USIS):-

- (i) Laying  of  synthetic  athletic  track  at  IGMC  Stadium, Vijayawada
- (ii) Multi-purpose indoor hall at Vidyadharapuram, Vijayawada

Further, Sports Authority of India (SAI), in collaboration with the State Government of Andhra Pradesh, is implementing the following sports promotion scheme in the State:

-  National Sports Talent Contest (NSTC)
-  SAI Training Centre (STC)

At present, 05 SAI centres are operational in the state as per the details given below:

-  NSTC adopted VPS Public School at Vijaywada
-  STC at Illuru
-  STC at Kurnul
-  STC at Vishakhapattanam
-  Extension Centre of STC at Andhra Loyolla College, Vijaywada

At present, 201 trainees (141 Boys and 60 Girls) selected from various parts of the state are trained in eight sports disciplines in SAI Centres.

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