Rekibuddin Ahmed

Guwahati, Oct. 5: The newly appointed member secretary of the state-level advisory committee for Students and Youth Welfare, Rekibuddin Ahmed, today said he would take all possible steps to involve the student community in the field of sport.

Ahmed, an executive member of the Assam Olympic Association (AOA) and working president of the Assam Archery Association (AAA), succeeded Kalyan Gogoi as the member secretary of the committee.

Ahmed said he would work in co-ordination with Dibrugarh University, Gauhati University and the directorate of secondary education to promote sports on the campus.

“I will strive to create the right atmosphere for the development of sport by acting as the inter-face between the various institutions and the government, which, under chief minister Tarun Gogoi, is keen to promote sport among students. There is a lot of talent on the campus, which needs to be tapped by a more pro-active involvement,” Ahmed said.

Another area, which will get the committee’s attention, is the attempt to include sport as a compulsory subject.

“We will explore all possible measures to encourage students to take to sport in a big way. Promoting sport and harnessing sportspersons will be our mantra to keep young minds away from drifting from the mainstream,” Ahmed said.

Chief minister Tarun Gogoi is the chairman and sports minister and Bharat Chandra Narah is the vice-chairman of the committee. Past member-secretaries of the committee, constituted in the early nineties, include Himanta Biswa Sarma, Pranab Goswami and Gogoi.

The committee, depending on the availability of funds, provides scholarships to sportspersons and funds for coaching camps and assistance to clubs through kits and equipment.

Sources said the committee has been suffering from inadequate budgetary provision for the past two years. However, an Assembly committee has recommended the release of Rs 50 lakh this fiscal for coaching.

They said the recommendation goes to prove Dispur’s initiative to make the committee’s role in development of sport more effective and the reconstitution of the committee with Ahmed as member-secretary is a step to rejuvenate and give a new direction to it.

“Ahmed has a tough task ahead of him. He has to chart a new course for the committee, vis-à-vis the development of sport in the state, which it needs urgently to cash in on the gains made by hosting the 33rd National Games in February last year,” a sports organiser said.