Haryana to establish over 400 sports nurseries: Vij

To develop Haryana as a leader in sports, more than 400 sports nurseries are being established in the state, Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Anil Vij said.
The government and private educational institutes have been invited to submit applications for establishing 'Swaran Jayanti Sports Nurseries' to Director, Sports and Youth affairs by August 31, he said.
Vij said 10 sports nurseries each would be set up for boys and girls in every district. One sports nursery would be established in each discipline such as archery, athletics, boxing, football, hockey, handball, kabaddi or kho-kho, swimming, volleyball and wrestling.
To be eligible for hosting a sports nursery, the institute must be up to at least secondary level and should have playground facilities for the game for which application has been submitted, he said.

The institutes allotted sports nurseries would have to conduct SPEED test for students under the supervision of District Sports and Youth Affairs Officer.
This test would be open to all students aged between eight and 19 years in the district. Twenty five selected students would be provided education in the allotted sports nurseries, Vij said.

Such institutions would adopt a particular game for which the sports nursery has been allotted and impart general training to all other willing students in the institutions.
However, such students would not be entitled to get scholarship, he said.
The SPEED qualifiers would have to attend coaching sessions in respective sports nurseries for at least 22 days every month to be entitled for scholarship, stipend and diet allowance. The player should avoid indulging in drugs and anti-social activities. In case of any violation, the Haryana government would have complete authority to ask the erring student to return the scholarship amount, Vij said.

The Department would provide Rs 1,500 per month to players aged between eight and 14 years and Rs 2,000 per month to those between 15 and 19 years as scholarship and diet allowance. Coaches would be provided contract fee of Rs 15,000 per month. Rs 1.20 lakh will also be provided for equipment and consumables, he said.
Those interested may download application form and other information from the Department's website www.Haryanasports.Gov.In, Vij added.