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| Principal secretary, sports, V.S. Bhaskar, in Guwahati on Sunday. Picture by UB Photos |
Guwahati, March 3: The state government today appealed to the corporate sector to adopt sports disciplines as part of their corporate social responsibility to promote sports in its real sense.
Addressing an NEC-sponsored seminar on Role of Corporates for Development of Sports in India, organised by the Assam Sports Journalists Association here today, state principal secretary (sports) V.S. Bhaskar said the corporate should try to promote sports as a whole rather than adopting sportspersons for their endorsements.
“The government’s role is to provide infrastructural support, which the Assam government has definitely done. The Centre is also coming up with schemes to create infrastructure at the grassroots level. We can definitely produce sportspersons if the corporate starts playing its role by adopting disciplines like contact sports and football, which have immense potential in this part of the country,” Bhaskar said.
Oil India Ltd senior human resource department official N.K. Bharali, however, requested the government to create the scope for the corporate sector to invest in sports by adopting a proper sports policy “so that the corporate can put in the money”.
“I have heard the state government has adopted a sports policy, but have never got the opportunity to go through it. It should be put up in the government website or intimated to the corporate houses so that they can plan accordingly,” Bharali said.
Numaligarh Refinery Ltd managing director D. Chakraborty also said there was no dearth of financial support from the corporate sector as far as development of sports is concerned but urged the government to specify the route for putting in the money.
Participating in the seminar, Shillong Lajong FC general secretary and All India Football Federation vice-president Larsing Ming Sawyan appreciated the changing scenario in the business sector in the Northeast during last few years where some of the major corporate houses have started investing in sports.
He, however, felt the sustainability will always depend on the professional attitude of the beneficiaries.
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