Central Government to set up 75 sports schools in India

The Indian Government’s proposed programme would come as a lifeline for many sporting talents throughout the country

The Central Government has confirmed that it will be opening 75 sports schools all over the country in a bid to embolden and support the up and coming Indian sporting talents. The task will be accomplished in three years’ time, with the first year seeing the inauguration of 35 such schools and 20 each in the next two years.

Students aged between 8 to 12 years and qualifying through the physical aptitude test will be admitted into the schools through the sports quota. Once called up, they will receive training in their preferred discipline besides being made sure that they could pursue their academics as well.

The ministry of youth affairs and sports will be in charge of funding the proposed Initial Selection of Sporting Talent (INSTAL) programme, which is expected to bring about expenses of Rs 2,200 crore for the centre over the course of next 10 years. For a school to gain the eligibility for INSTAL, it is expected to have the following facilities.

• Excellent infrastructure for at least four to five of the sporting categories which include – boxing, wrestling, athletics/gymnastics, taekwondo, swimming, table tennis, badminton, hockey, football, archery, tennis, shooting, basketball and volleyball.

• First-class track record in National School Games and a minimum area of 25 acres.

• The ability to fund on their own as well as being sponsored by the centre.

The capability to accommodate a minimum of 100 students beginning with 25 boys/girls per annum, for four years continuously. The Union home ministry, mindful of the programme’s potential to discourage the youth from joining the Naxals, is concentrating on setting-up such schools in the Maoist-dominated states, according to a report from Times of India.

The ministry will provide Rs 1.5 lakh per annum for every student who gets in through the quota covering all his/her expenses, sports supplies worth Rs 1 lakh per school per annum and Rs 2,500 per student per annum for the sports events. It will also remunerate the group insurance premium for the sports students and pay for the salary of five coaches per school at the rate of Rs 30,000 per coach per month.