The Union Sports Ministry launched the National Sports Talent Search Portal, a project of the central government that is being awaited by so many, on 28 August. The portal was launched by Venkaiah Naidu, the Vice President of India at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, New Delhi. Vijay Goel, Union Sports Minister said – and perhaps rightly so – that one of the major issues facing India in the sporting arena is the lack of fair selection at different levels such as state, national, and international.
Hampering the talent
As the sports minister pointed out in most cases this affects the athletes and sportspersons with real talent. This also affects how the national and state teams in different sporting disciplines perform at various events. Goel has said that the present government considers this to be a major issue and this is the reason why steps such as these are being taken in the first place. This portal will allow athletes – as young as 8 years – or their parents and teachers to upload their sporting achievements. The Union Sports Minister has also said that his ministry, as well as Sports Authority of India (SAI) will take these records into account when it shortlists the best kids.
Khelo India initiative
During a recent episode of Mann ki Baat Narendra Modi launched yet another programme – Khelo India. The new website being talked about over here is being launched as a part of this yet another ambitious programme conceptualized by the Prime Minister of India. Incidentally, 29 August – the very next day after this new scheme is launched – happens to be the birthday of Dhyan Chand, the most famous hockey player of India and a prominent member of the golden era of Indian hockey. 29 August is also celebrated as the National Sports Day.
Features of this portal and how can it help
Notably, interested individuals have to follow a simple 3-step process to be a part of this portal. At first, they have to register themselves and then create a profile. The last step requires them to upload all their sporting achievements till date. Goel has further said that from all the profiles thus created 1000 kids will be selected. The ones selected will receive scholarships worth INR 5 lakh per year for a period of eight years.
In order to do away with any sort of language barrier whatsoever, the portal can be accessed in English as well as other regional languages. This means that a boy or a girl who has the potential to excel in a particular sport can upload his/her profile from any part of India – without facing any sort of difficulty.
For the smartphone savvy aspiring players, the portal is available in the form of an app which can be downloaded easily on those devices. Thanks to all the aforementioned features, accessing this particular portal is expected to be a virtual breeze. Thus, this can definitely be viewed as a noteworthy move towards the promotion of sports in the country and helping it fulfill its sporting potential sooner rather than later.
