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Federal sports policy on anvil

Taking a serious view of India's poor showing in international competitions, the Federal government has called for adopting a transparent system for selection of sports teams.

"It is important that merit gets its due importance," said Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi, while inaugurating a two-day all-India conference of ministers of Youth Affairs and Sports, to discuss the draft of the new national youth policy and the new national sports policy.

Joshi called upon sports federations to ensure that politics, regionalism, caste and creed do not affect the selection process.

The minister said that a national sports development fund has been created to raise resources for the rapid development of sporting standards in the country. This year's budget, he pointed out, has made a provision of 100 per cent deduction in donationas to the fund.

Joshi said that 20 sports schools will be opened in different states, to provide the necessary framework and infrastructure at the district level, for the early spotting of talent and its nurturing, in a planned, organised fashion.

Referring to the problem faced by many schools in providing sports facilities to their students, the minister said that those schools that do not have individual playing fields should share the facilities available with other schools.

UNI