Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio while presenting the State Budget 2022-23 had introduced a new scheme called TACS (Target Champion Scheme) for talent spotting along with scholarships for training and development to produce sports champions. He also said that the process of recruitments to the recently announced Police Sports Battalion would soon commence.
Towards this, he said, the Indian Olympic Association has assured all possible support to the sports development plans of the state and that a collaborative program with the Indian Navy is also being launched to empower students with career opportunities.
Further, Rio said that Sports Academies and Centers of Excellence will be developed in selected prioritized sports disciplines with the collaboration of the State Sports Associations and the Olympic body. All these words are music to the ears of sports lovers and local talents.
It was anticipated that a task force on sports along the lines of the Task Force for Music and Arts (TaFMA) could be introduced but nonetheless, the TACS, even though the name sounds different, is expected to be similar in role and function with TaFMA. Rio said that, through TACS, talents will be spotted and scholarships for training and development will be given for specific periods of time to produce champions at the highest levels of sport.
Given the fact that the government of Nagaland is finally setting its focus on games and sports, including athletics, it would augur well for Mokokchung to make the right moves and take some preemptive steps for the benefit of our local talents. Any sports policy would be futile if it does not start from the grassroots level and the government of Nagaland knows the obvious truth. Unless corruption plays havoc, brighter days are ahead for our sportspersons and athletes.
To make the most out of the government’s latest policy, Mokokchung District Sports Council must immediately call for a meeting and chart the course of action for the district. The office of the District Sports Officer, Mokokchung must also roll up its sleeves and be more proactive. Lack of funding by the state government should not be an excuse to keep the office doors locked.
MDSC should formulate a district-specific sports policy complementing the state government’s and initiate to activate all the affiliated sporting bodies in the district. If there are no funds, efforts should be made to raise them. MDSC may identify certain sports disciplines where the local talents have prospects for excelling but without compromising on all the other disciplines. Moreover, focus should be on school and village level sporting events, which are regularly held even without any aid from the government.
School and village level sporting events should be supervised and records of all individual and group achievements should be tabulated in order to identify future champions. At least this can be done without incurring any expenditure.