PNS/
 
Stating that there is no shortage of budget for the sports department, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who also holds the charge of Sports Department, on Thursday said that for the improvement and maintenance of sports infrastructure, posts of grounds man, watchman-cum-gardener, and sweeper will be filled at the earliest through Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam Limited.
 
Khattar, presiding over the review meeting convened by the Sports Department, directed the officers to ensure all kind of sports facilities to sportspersons to enhance their performance at national and international level sports events.
 
During the meeting, Sports Director Pankaj Nain apprised the Chief Minister that three state-level sports stadiums in Panchkula, Faridabad and Rohtak, 21 district sports complexes, 25 sub-divisional stadiums, 163 Rajiv Gandhi Rural Sports Complexes and 245 small-scale sports complexes are there in the state.
 
The Department is making concrete efforts to provide sports facilities and excellent sports infrastructure to the budding players according to the nature of the game. On this, the Chief Minister said that the maintenance of sports infrastructure is as important as the stadium for the players.
 
The Chief Minister was apprised that the department has a proposal to fill 202 junior coaches, 254 groundsman and 203 watchman-cum-gardener-cum-sweeper on contract basis through Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam Limited. A demand has also been sent for a manager, 8 head coaches, three sports physiotherapists, a dietician and a psychologist for the sports academy being set up at Panchkula. For the year 2023-24, the budget of the sports department has been increased from Rs. 540.5 crore to Rs. 566.04 crore.
 
The Director of Sports in his presentation said that till the year 2023, 216 outstanding sports persons were offered government job appointments out of which 179 sportspersons have joined while only 41 sportspersons were given jobs in 2013-14.
 
He apprised that 1100 sports nurseries are operational in the state. The sports nursery scheme is being redefined and transferred to educational institutions. For this, the department is coordinating with government and private institutions.
 
Every educational institution will be given Rs three lakh every year to spend on sports equipment and sports infrastructure so that the sporting talent of budding players can be enhanced at a young age itself.
 
Apart from this, it is also proposed to open 24 residential academies which will accommodate 600 athletes, with facilities for 12 sports. In these residential academies, each player will be given Rs. 400 per day food allowance.
 
The Chief Minister directed the officials to ensure the information of every sports person in Parivar Pehchan Patra. “A scheme should also be made to honour ‘Akhadas and Khalifas’ who groom sports talents among players of traditional sports like wrestling and kabaddi,” he said, adding that Sportspersons Insurance Benefit Scheme in the name of Master Chandgi Ram was also announced in budget.