With neighbouring Haryana's youth winning laurels for the State in sports, Punjab Government on Thursday said that it was mulling on the idea of introducing sports as a compulsory subject in schools.“We plan to make sports a compulsory subject at school-level like English, Punjabi etc with its own weightage of marks so that young sports persons get encouragement,” said State Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal on Thursday at a function of a private university.
He gave cash awards worth Rs15.34 crore to as many as 306 sportspersons who had won laurels for Punjab by bagging medals at the State, national and international levels in different disciplines during 2010-11 to 2014-15.Sukhbir, who also holds sports portfolio, said that he would hold discussion with the top brass of Punjab Sports department in this connection. He said a Sports Institute was set up in Punjab while centres for sports excellence were coming up at six places including Mohali, Jalandhar, ludhiana, Gurdaspur, Patiala and Badal. State Sports Department secretary Ashok Gupta said that the Badal village centre will be exclusively for girls and Rs51 crore were sanctioned for these centers.
Gupta said that the sports department was tying up with Australia, UK and South Africa for getting “know-how for further improving sports”.“Foreign coaches were also being hired for training state sportspersons,” Gupta said, adding that as many as 125 posts were reserved for outstanding sports persons directly in police every year.“For such sportspersons, who win medals at the State, national and international levels, posts of DSPs, ASIs and constables have been reserved as per their positions,” he said.Besides, creating sports’ culture in the State, the State Government will also bear all expenses for special training at abroad for outstanding players as Punjab had created a dedicated sports fund with outlay of Rs 100 crore.