New Delhi, July 23: As many as 734 players were selected for a scholarship under the Khelo India Talent Development Scheme on Sunday. Notably, Khelo India Talent Development Scheme is another significant step taken by Sports Authority of India following successful conduct of the Khelo India School Games for the development of sports.
Through the Khelo India Talent Development Scheme, the athletes will get training at government-accredited residential academies. An annual stipend of Rs. 1,20,000 will be given to each player on a quarterly basis to meet their out of pocket expenses, treatment of injuries and other expenses.
Various private, state and SAI academies have been accredited for the first time to create a strong ecosystem for nurturing talent. Also, a high powered committee accredited 21 non-SAI academies as well with a plan is to develop more such academies so that young athletes can get access to the best training without having to travel long distances.
A talent identification committee was formed comprising Arjuna Awardees and Dronacharya Awardees to shortlist and propose the names of the beneficiaries to the High Powered Committee, which cleared the above numbers after due diligence. The scholarship programme is designed to take care of their expenses including training, development, boarding and lodging and tournament exposure apart from offering them out of pocket expense allowance.
Salient features of the High Powered Committee meeting are as follows:
- The talent spotting and age verification of the selected players has been driven by the scientific and trusted method through TW3.
- An annual stipend of Rs. 1.2 lakhs will be given to the players on a quarterly basis to meet their out of pocket expenses, treating injuries and even smaller but very important elements like local travel for themselves and their parents/ family members
- Support and skill trainings at KHELO INDIA accredited Academies. For the first time ever, in order to create a strong ecosystem for nurturing the talent, various private, State and Sports Authority of India academies have been accredited. The High Powered Committee accredited 21 non-SAI academies as well. The list of accredited academies is available on the SAI website.
- The plan is to develop more such academies so that young athletes can get access to the best training without having to travel long distances. The accredited academies will look after the training, boarding and tournament expenses of the athletes.
- It was also decided that the academies will be divided into three categories. To encourage excellence, there will be gap analysis which will offer these academies opportunities for upgradation. At the same time there will be a strong review mechanism for academies on a periodical basis. Academies that do not maintain desired standards and fulfill the performance criteria, may be delisted.
- The High Powered Committee also decided that a strong performance management system would be in place and performance be rewarded. If athletes are not fulfilling this criterion and coming up to the requisite standards, they may be weeded out from the academies.
- It was also decided that athletes must report injury immediately so that timely rehabilitation can be offered. The high-powered committee also decided to put into place a robust performance monitoring system to get the best out of everyone involved in the system.
After the selection of 734 players, Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore said, “Transformational changes have been introduced into Indian sports. Catch them young is no longer a slogan but is visible in our action. We are developing a sports system that connects local potential to global podiums that encourages every Indian to have sports as a part of their lives for entertainment, education or excellence.”