Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said the state Cabinet will give its nod for direct recruitment of sportspersons in government jobs.
The recruitment will be done through the selection committee headed by the Additional Chief Secretary of the Department of Sports and also to give Group-A jobs to the winners in the Olympics and Paralympics who are degree holders.
Speaking at a function organised to present Ekalavya Sports Awards and other sports awards in which Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot participated here on Tuesday, the Chief Minister said that the winners in Asian Games and Commonwealth Games and degree holders will be given Group-B jobs; for those who have bagged medals in other sports events will be given Group-C and Group-D jobs.
"No other states have the policy of giving jobs to the sportspersons except Karnataka," he said.
Bommai said that since August 15 this year, the government has adopted 75 athletes and will train them for the next Paris Olympics.
"They will be given training for four years from good coaches and also provide facilities to continue their studies. For this, the government has spent Rs 10 lakh each and more funds will be given upon requirement. The athletes must show good performance in Commonwealth, Asian Games and Olympics," he said.
The Chief Minister said young athletes are the assets of a country and success is guaranteed if they work hard with integrity.
"Both the State and the Central governments have given importance to it. Sports will develop as a hobby and then it will be considered as a symbol of nationalism. Any nation is identified based on its performance in sports. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has initiated several steps to bring sports to the national mainstream. In the name of 'Khelo India', 'Fit India' and 'Jeto India', a lot of awareness is being created about the sport. This helped the country to win more medals in the previous Olympics. India has also shown a good performance in the Paralympics," Bommai said.
He further said that the youth policy will be brought in for the development of youth empowerment and sports and both of them will be given due importance.
"The urge to win is a must in sports and none must play to lose. A positive frame of mind will help them to win any game. Two per cent of posts are reserved for the sportspersons in the Home Department. There are a number of leaders and administrators to give priority to sports and this will help in implementing such policies," he added.
Youth Empowerment & Sports Minister C Narayanagowda, MLA Rizwan Arshad, Karnataka Olympic Association President Govindaraju, Additional Chief Secretary (Department of Sports and Youth Empowerment) Shalini Rajneesh and others were present.
( With inputs from ANI )
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