NSDC releases grant to FICCI to focus on sports sector skill council

Every year, FICCI celebrates National Sports Day, which falls on August 29, to mark the birth anniversary of hockey legend, 'The Wizard' Major Dhyan Chand, who is one of the most respected legendary figures in India and world hockey.

This year, the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) released a grant to FICCI to focus on Sports Sector Skill Council which is dedicated specifically to this industry. This is to meet the estimated demand for incremental human resource requirement of 2.1 million in the industry.

FICCI with the support of Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports organizes the celebration in an attempt to create awareness about this day and to promote sports culture in the country. The programme is a precursor to the National Sports Day, which will be celebrated tomorrow across 1000+ organizations in the country.

Emphasizing the importance of a holistic education, Professor Hans Westerbeek, Dean, College of Sport and Exercise Science, Victoria University, Australia, said that sports play a critical role in achieving a healthy mind and healthy body. He added that promoting and encouraging children for physical activity is essential as it would help in avoiding welfare diseases, which are expensive to cure. He added that Australia and India were now working in tandem to promote sports as a profession.

Dilip Chenoy, MD and CEO, NSDC, said that parents should allow children to play sports as it would enable them to imbibe soft skills such as teamwork and communication. He added that the SSC would aggregate the efforts of the sports sector for employable workforce development by inviting participation, engagement and approval of the stakeholders.

In his theme address, Dr. A. Didar Singh, Secretary General, FICCI, said that officially signing a Sports Sector Skills Council grant agreement with NSDC would go a long way in promoting sports as a profession. Also, the Sports SSC would enable more opportunities to work in different segments within the sector like in sports medicine, sports manufacturing, sports event management, sports science and technology, and sports coaching.

Vijay Sharma, Film Producer, narrated interesting anecdotes from the life of legendary hockey player Major Dhyan Chand and also mentioned his numerous achievements. He added that Major Dhyan Chand was a player who was respected and felicitated at both national and international level for his exceptional contribution towards Indian hockey.