State to introduce new recruitment rules under sports quota

Kohima, June 12 (EMN): The People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) government, in a bid to ensure that all meritorious sportspersons are considered for suitable employment opportunities in various departments, will soon be implementing a new recruitment policy under sports quota.

Advisor for Youth Resources and Sports (YRS), Zale Neikha told reporters here Tuesday evening that the All India Council of Sports (AICS), Government of India, has written to the state government April last to review its recruitment rules under sports quota and relax the criteria from ‘national medallists’ to ‘state medallists or having represented the state in the nationals’. This was to increase employment opportunities to deserving state level sportspersons, the legislator said.

Towards this, he said, the rules which earlier specified ‘up to 5%’ in regard to reservation of jobs for meritorious sportspersons would now be converted to ‘minimum of 5%’. The AICS is stated to have pointed out that various categories of posts under sports quota in various state governments were lying vacant due to the criteria for employment being set for national medal winners only. As the number of national medal winners is limited in the states including Nagaland, to fill up the vacancies available under sports quota, thereby meritorious sportspersons at the state level or those who participate in the national levels are deprived of employment opportunities in their respective states.

Also, Neikha said the earlier reservation policy in the state was restricted to the departments of YRS and the police, but the new one will be implemented in all the departments. He expressed enthusiasm that this would be a major boost for sportspersons.

Meanwhile, the legislator said to have directed the YRS department to identify and give special emphasis on the discipline of sports where Nagas generally excel. He also made an appeal to sportspersons to learn to distinguish the particular discipline that they are good at and concentrate in the same.

Neikha informed that the government was trying its best to improve the facilities and infrastructure for sports to encourage sportspersons in the state. He also disclosed that talks were on for carpeting the football fields at IG Stadium Kohima and Chumukedima Police Complex ground.

Besides the above, the legislator informed that the state government will be honouring meritorious sportspersons by instituting the Dr. T Ao Sports Awards which will be announced on August 15 next.

YRS to telecast FIFA World Cup 2018 on giant screens

In commemoration of Dr. T Ao’s birth centenary celebration, the department of Youth Resources and Sports (YRS) will telecast the inaugural, semi-finals and final matches of the FIFA Football World Cup 2018 live on big screens at Kohima, Dimapur, Mon and Mokokchung. Announcing this at a press conference in Kohima today, Advisor for YRS Zale Neikha said the venue for the live telecasting will be: Khuochiezie Ground in Kohima, MDSC Badminton Stadium in Dimapur, Town Hall in Mon and Imkongmeren Sports Complex in Mokokchung.

Documentary on Dr. T Ao would also be screened before the matches and in between (during half-time), he said.

In Kohima, a 20×12 feet LED screen will be put up for the public to watch the mentioned matches and food courts will also be set up in the venue. Locally popular DGP Band will entertain the audience during the screening of the semi-final matches. The other three towns will also have giant screens, Neikha informed.

The department has asked all football lovers to avail the opportunity and witness the matches in the mentioned venues. This programme is stated to be coinciding with the 100 days initiative action of the YRS department.

Meanwhile, the legislator said that he would be providing from his own side a set each of projector with screen, a DTH connection and inverter to the youth organisations of all the seven villages in his constituency Southern Angami-II for screening of the World Cup 2018 matches.