Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Srinagar Aug 08 : Jammu and Kashmir administration has directed officials to engage youth towards sports aimed to stop them from diverting towards other activities.
Drugs seem to have been devastating the lives of youth in the valley. Aiming to stop youth from engaging in wrong doings, the government has made several schemes for promotion of sports and to involve youth towards them.
An official told news agency KINS that there are many teams who are working for the engagement of youth in sports to stop them from diverting towards other activities.
They have been tasked for promoting youth engagement and sports activities to chalk out modalities and prepare a road map for finalising the programme pertaining to sports and youth engagement policy.
They have to “prepare calendar of the activities for purpose of youth engagement/sports that could bring out a change on the ground to make them useful instruments of change and also to ensure furtherance of sports/cultural activities”.
They have been asked that they shall also keep scope for inclusion of cultural activities, career counseling, personality development, drug de-addiction programmes, advocacy campaigns against social evils.
“Special allocation of funds be made for development of different facilities like gymnasiums, entertainment halls, career counseling centres to have a salutary effect on the youth,” these recommendations according to official has been made by experts.
These teams have also pointed out lack of funds for building of sports infrastructure.
Jammu and Kashmir has only 150 playfields against the requirement of 2500 for a population of over Rs 1.2 crore.
An official of JK Youth Services and Sports said that lack of play fields have been affecting the performance of players. “The existing play fields are in bad shape. Only few grounds have drainage system in place,” the official said.
A senior police official said that government was taking measures to develop sports infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir.
“There is easy availability of drugs especially in South Kashmir. We can counter this drug menace only through sports. The government has been promoting sports under different programmes which has brought a visible positive change on the ground,” the official said. (KINS)
