* Ready to give 100 pc to earn name, fame & good fortune *
SANJAY SHARMA
JAMMU: As new Sports Policy announced by the UT administration has so much to offer to outstanding players, there is likelihood that each and every son and daughter of the soil will now try to contradict the famous adage ‘Padhoge Likhoge Banoge Nawab, Kheloge Kudoge Toh Hoge Khraab’. Definitely going into nitty-gritty of the New Sports Policy augurs for a bright future of sportspersons with wider scope of getting jobs and other incentives besides good health coming as a bonus.
In this regard, Vansh Mahajan, Ace Fencer, while talking to STATE TIMES, said that the people especially the sportspersons of Jammu and Kashmir are happy with the step taken by the UT Government by bringing New Sports Policy. “It will boost the morale of the players as they are already full of enthusiasm towards improving their game after approval of New Sports Policy”, he said, adding that before this, the sportspersons were deprived of Government jobs under SRO 349 and other facilities.
Swetha Thakur, Judo Player (Gold Medalist) expressed gratitude to LG Manoj Sinha for ensuring justice to players through a rightful manner of giving the outstanding players, the much deserving employment opportunities matching their ability and success level. “In 2015, due to absence of any concrete Sports Policy, I compromised with my sporting career and moved towards Government service due to financial constraints. If there would have been the Sports Policy, I must have continued with my gaming career. New Sports Policy is precisely the right way to woo young people towards sports and give them proper atmosphere to channelize their energy as in absence of such incentives many people having talent and ability had been misguided ruining their future and that of the region”, she said adding that J&K Administration deserves kudos for chalking-out a meaningful sports policy. Swetha Thakur further said that if implemented with right perspective, this policy will steer J&K to new heights of supremacy in sports with Olympic medals becoming the new norm for the sportspersons of the Union Territory. She said that soon she will rejoin the game as she is the lone gold medalist in J&K in Judo.
Meanwhile, Pankaj Malhotra, senior Kho Kho Player of J&K, said that the decision of the government is highly praiseworthy because without incentives of jobs and other benefits, there was nothing which can bring real talent to the sports arena. “It’s the need of the hour and government should implement the New Sports Policy in its true spirit so that more and more players from J&K can make a mark in the international arena of sports. Today Haryana tops India’s medal tallies and has become the biggest sports-hub. Haryana’s contribution in medal tally is significant. Haryana has the most number of individual Olympic medals among Indians and has highest representation at 2020 Tokyo. Around 30 players from Haryana were in the country’s Olympics contingent, which is a big thing”, he said, adding that it is unfortunate that J&K was lagging in sports edifice so much so that in many games players have to go outside the Union Territory for getting even the basic training. He said that despite playing Kho Kho since 2003, he remained deprived of a government job. He anticipated that the New Sports Policy will do justice with sportspersons of Jammu and Kashmir who are working hard day and night for bringing laurels to Union Territory.