Vijayawada: The State Government released a new sports policy two months back but it remains to be cleared by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. After the recent Cabinet reshuffle, Mr Naidu has directed the new Sports Minister Kollu Raveendra to study the draft prepared by Special Chief Secretary L.V. Subrahmanyam, two months ago.
In a GO issued by the Youth Advancement Tourism and Culture (Sports and YS) department in February, Mr Subrahmanyam stated that the Government has approved the “Andhra Pradesh Sports Policy 2017-22” and it would be implemented from the date of the issue. This GO which followed a meeting convened by the Chief Minister on October 27 last year, seems to have conveniently ignored the crux of the sports policy, code and bill, which the Government of India had specifically mentioned in its sports policy.
This new policy is aimed to enable spotting and nurturing talent and supporting their participation in national and international events. All this is aimed at producing medal winners at the national and international levels.
In several district headquarters, infrastructure was given a boost tapping both Central and State funds. Many sport icons were produced from 2000 in undivided State of Andhra Pradesh.
The GO states that AP State has been put to immense loss due to bifurcation with most of the world-class infrastructure to host, train and exhibit talent remaining in Telangana State. The athletes of AP urgently need such infrastructure and training facilities, the GO stressed. There have been many sweeping changes in implementation of the Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) programmes across the globe, it added.
On December 7, last year, in the presence of Secretary (Sports), GoI, a stakeholders’ meeting was conducted at Amaravati, the GO said. Several suggestions articulated during the stakeholders’ meeting were addressed, discussed and disposed, it was stated. This is, however, in contrast to the fact that not all the stakeholders were invited for the meeting. The SAAP MD N. Bangarraju has not available to media since then. State intends to provide a playing area to every school kid in the school by 2020, according to the G.O.
