Make Budgetary Provisions For Sports Competitions

Bhupinder Singh

(The writer is national athletics coach)

Sports competitions are organised at different levels by different organisations in Himachal Pradesh. School sports competitions are organised from block to the state level. Elementary Education Directorate makes provision of money at government level for primary and middle school games. However for high and senior secondary school sports competitions, provision of money is made from the sports fee taken from students. The school keep some of the amount of sports fee and spends it for purchasing sports material, travel and daily allowances of student players. Rest of the money is sent to director higher education for organising sports competitions. However the money allocated for travel and daily allowance for school sports competitions is too meager. It is necessary to make provision in the budget for sports field and sports material. How will future winners be prepared if talented players are not spotted and groomed at school level? Presence of physical education teacher in commensurate ratio to the strength of students should also be ensured.

 After school, players take admission in college for the university level games. Here too the government does not make provision for funds. Sports equipments are purchased and teams are sent to participate in different sports competitions on the cushion of sports fee accrued from students. Some part of the funds collected through sports fee is sent the to university sports council. The university sends its team for inter university sports competitions. It means no amount is made available from the government to school sports organisations and university sports council either. Notably, future sports stars are spotted, honed and trained at this level. Therefore the state government should make budgetary provisions for colleges and universities so that they can construct quality level playgrounds, purchase good sports equipments and afford travel and food expenses of budding players. There are sports associations constituted also from district to international level and they are responsible for their particular sport. They do organise Under-16, U- 18 and U-20 age category sports competitions. The state sports council provides a grant of Rs. 5000 at district level and up to one lakh rupees at state level as per the sports grade. How could a sports competition be organised in Rs. 5000 at district level? To add to woes, there is no provision for such grant at block level. It is at this level that maximum participation is needed. The government should make provisions in the budget to ensure enough grant to organise sports competitions in different age categories at block level to encourage budding sportspersons.

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