Need of a Sport Policy for India Essay : In India sports has been practiced since times immemorial as an integral part of theculture. The sporting culture of India dates back to several centuries. Sporting activities and events has come a long way from being a leisure time to become a billion-dollar money making industry. Governments across the world spend large amount of money in the sports industry not only to encourage sports but also to promote tourism AND local business. Indian sport policy is underdeveloped due to the involvement of various factors. The factors include budget, infrastructure development, medal tally and manpower development. After the establishment of The Sport Authority of India in 1984, the scope of participation and notion of sports career have improved.
Why India needs sport policy?
In the seventh schedule of the Indian constitution, sport is a state subject. Promotion and development of sports is the responsibility of state governments. The Sport Policy of India aimed to provide a conducive environment for the promotion and expansion of sports. The ensuing sport policy was developed and adopted in the year 2001. The 2001 sport policy aimed on finding and nurturing the sport talent and it achieved success in the national and international level. Khelo India, a sport program has improved the participation of sports at different levels. However, it has failed to reach in every nook and corner of the country. States such as Karnataka, Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Haryana and Meghalaya have developed their own state policies. The implementation efficacy of the sport policydepends on the state. The Sports Authority of India was established to coordinate various sport activities in India. It operates various schemes at sub junior, junior and senior levels. The success of the 9th Asian games at Delhi aroused the sports consciousness in India. It encouraged physical fitness among youths and use their energy in making sports and games successful. The lack of infrastructure and the apathetic nature of the government facilitated to the abysmal performance of the sports. India lacks world class infrastructure for sports. The privileged section of India has never placed any value on the sports system. Intellectual achievements are glorified over physical ones due to the inception of the caste system. India has a long coastline but there is no culture of deep-sea diving or surfing for leisure. Very few shows interest in skiing despite of the presence of snow-clad mountain. The Indian government’s attempt to promote sports has led to duplication in the policy. There is lack of clarity on the differences between sports as an excellence and sports as a leisure or fitness. Corruption, lack of transparency created an environment of malpractice and confusion. The country fails to invest heavily in building a modern sports infrastructure at the grass route level. India’s most profitable sports league Indian Premiere League have been enmeshed in a controversy in the recent past. Mechanisms should be brought to govern the interests of the stakeholders and large sums of money in order to prevent the tournaments from losing credibility.
Conclusion:
The governance of Indian sports lacks transparency and accountability which leads to wide spread corruption. There is an immediate need to have an efficient sport policy for India that would benefit people from all classes having interest in sports and games.
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