Sikkim to host National Sports Festival 2015

WORKSHOP DELIBERATES MANDATE AND MODALITIES FOR YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND SPORTS PROMOTION
GANGTOK, 18 July [IPR]: Minister for Sports & Youths Affairs, RB Subba, today announced that Sikkim will be hosting the National Sports Festival 2015 and urged the administration, Panchayats, students, the civil society, NGOs to extend active cooperation and coordination to make the weeklong festival a grand success.
Mr. Subba made this announcement while addressing a workshop, “Mandate and Modalities for Youth Engagement and Sports Promotion”, and workshop-cum-awareness on Rural Sports competitions under RGKA/ PYKKA and NSS, organized by the Department of Sports & Youth Affairs at Chintan Bhawan here today.
Stressing on skill development initiative launched by the State to empower youth, he said that the National Youth Policy 2014 has now been prepared wherein people aged between 15 to 29 years are included in category of youth which means that 40% of Sikkim’s population is now counted as youth.
Speaking on the need for human resource for the state, he urged students to opt for Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics to meet the increasing demand and also underlined the scope of Nursing, GNM and Laboratory Technician to meet the requirement of the multi-specialty hospital being constructed at Sichey.
Highlighting opportunities available to students, he informed that the concerned Department has sent 152 students to study engineering, architecture etc. while around 248 seats were left vacant because of insufficient applicants. He further informed that 8,000 youths from North-Eastern state will be trained through DoNER at ITFT Chandigarh on government expenditure and that a large number of youth from Sikkim can undergo through this skill development training programme.
Detailing the schemes and programmes, he informed that in India altogether 6,545 Blocks and 634 districts are incorporated under Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan under which Rs. 1.60 crore will be given to each Block to carry out indoor and outdoor sports activities.
Addressing the workshop attended by Zilla Adhyakshas of East, West and North districts, Secretaries from RMDD and Land Revenue Departments, GVAs, Principals and HMs, Panchayats, youth from NYK, NSS, NGOs, ANOs, students and officials, Principal Secretary Sports & Youth Affairs Deptt., Dr. K. Jayakumar, focused on the need for a “Youth Development Model” to channelize youth towards output-oriented and productive society.
Highlighting the purpose of the workshop, he said, the programme was organized to understand the mandate for engagement of the youth, nurture a vision and instil a set of shared values in them. He urged the participants for partnership and collaboration between stakeholders, Head of the Educational Institutions, Panchayats to shoulder the responsibility for sustainable development. He also stressed on making effective systems, policies, guidelines, practices and mechanism for youth empowerment and put suggestions for Physical, Mental, Technical, Tactical & Social development amongst youth.
The programme also included an interactive session, distribution of cash incentives to meritorious sports persons achieving gold, silver and bronze medals in Zonal, National and International level.