The Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday launched NADA India's mobile app which aims to create a bridge between athletes and the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).
The app provides easily-accessible information on various aspects of the sport, and most importantly about prohibited substances, the inadvertent use of which may lead to the athlete's career being hampered.
Rijiju congratulated the agency for their initiative and said it is a 'very important' step towards practicing clean sport.
"I congratulate NADA on this initiative. It is a very important step for Indian sport because we are working towards clean sports and the first step in that direction is to create awareness and provide relevant, accessible information to athletes so that they know which medication or substances are not to be used by them," Rijiju said in a statement.
"With this app, athletes can check for themselves the list of prohibited substances and don't have to depend on anyone else for assistance. I am also happy that we have taken yet another step to fulfill our Prime Minister's dream of a digital India," the minister added.
The app also has exhaustive information about whether a specific commonly-prescribed medicine contains any substance that is prohibited by NADA, therefore helping athletes and coaches to decide medicines that athletes can consume in case they are unwell. To ensure a smoother, quicker process of dope test for athletes, the app allows the doping control officer to record their availability to conduct a test through the app.
The launch was attended by Sports Secretary, Ravi Mital and Director General of NADA, Navin Agarwal.
( With inputs from ANI )