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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Why Haryana ranks fifth in the Commonwealth by Mukesh Bhardwaj

Why Haryana ranks fifth in the Commonwealth by Mukesh Bhardwaj

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published Published on Oct 15, 2010   modified Modified on Oct 15, 2010

If Haryana were a country, it would be fifth on the gold medal winners’ list at Delhi 2010 — after Australia, England, Canada and India-minus-Haryana. Fifteen of India’s 38 gold at the Commonwealth Games — nearly 40 per cent of the country’s best-ever haul — have been won by athletes from Haryana.

For perspective, Haryana has 2 per cent of the country’s population and occupies 1.37 per cent of its land area.

What has allowed Haryana to punch so much above its weight is a comprehensive, result-oriented sports policy in which the government has invested thought, time and funds. Every student is encouraged to play at least one sport at school, and every sportsperson who wins a a national or international championship gets an automatic cash reward and a government job.

That the investment made by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, himself an avid sports lover, has paid rich dividends, is conceded even by his detractors — and proved by the fact that four years ago, at the 2006 Melbourne Games, Haryana’s contribution to the national tally had been only 1 gold, 3 silver and a bronze.

Hooda says the sports policy of his government is focused on investing in high-end sporting infrastructure, both in towns and the rural areas, spotting and picking up young sporting talent right at the school level, giving them the right environment, and incentivizing them to hone their skills and develop the correct sporting aptitude.

“We have more than 350 stadiums in villages, blocks and towns across the state. A wrestling academy at Rohtak and a kabaddi academy at Jind are being set up. We have introduced Sports and Physical Aptitude Tests (SPAT) in schools to spot high-potential athletes and help them to excel through scholarships and training,” Hooda said.

Under the punchline ‘Play for India’, each school student is encouraged to play at least one sport. With a view to eliminating transitional losses and delays, a ‘direct to athlete’ approach has been adopted. “For us, sports is a low-cost, efficient tool of engaging young people constructively. We see it as an exercise in nation-building”, the chief minister said.

The response has been overwhelming, especially in boxing, wrestling, hockey, judo, kabaddi, handball and cricket. The Haryana contingent at Delhi 2010 was 50-strong, and participated in 13 sports. Hooda’s government has announced cash rewards of Rs 15 lakh for every gold medallist, Rs 10 lakh for every silver medallist and Rs 5 lakh for each bronze winner. The coaches will get Rs 3 lakh, Rs 2 lakh and Rs 1 lakh respectively.

The policy of cash incentives is a continuous one. Recipients of the Arjuna and Dronacharya Awards are given an honorarium of Rs 5,000 per month. Sums of Rs 2,000 and Rs 1,500 are credited to the bank accounts of junior and sub-junior level athletes. Villages of outstanding sportspersons receive special grants.

Three per cent jobs in the police are reserved for outstanding sportspersons. Haryana has recruited 239 athletes, including 41 women, in the police under the sports quota between 2007 and 2010 in posts ranging from constable to DSP. Eleven DSPs, 7 Inspectors and 21 Sub-inspectors have so far been appointed under the sports quota.

The DSPs are hockey players Mamta Kharb, Sardara Singh and Sandeep Singh, cricketer Joginder Sharma, wrestlers Geetika Jhakher, Yogeshwar Dutt and Ramesh Gulia, boxers Vijender Singh, Akhil Kumar and Jitender Singh, and mountaineer Mamta Sauda.

While Bhiwani is today India’s boxing nursery, Shahbad has produced about 40 international women hockey in just 10 years. Most of the wrestlers come from Sonepat and Rohtak.

“The performance of sportspersons from Haryana at the Commonwealth Games proves that we have succeeded in achieving our goal of making Haryana a sports power. CWG has provided ample opportunity to our sportspersons to showcase their talent and bring laurels to India,” Hooda said.


The Indian Express, 15 October, 2010, http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Why-Haryana-ranks-fifth-in-the-Commonwealth/697859


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