Gujarat Dy CM launches ‘Shaktidoot 2.0’ with up to Rs 50 lakh annual support for 500 athletes
Gandhinagar, Aug 12 (IANS) Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi on Wednesday launched the revamped ‘Shaktidoot 2.0’ scheme in Gandhinagar, expanding direct support for athletes and setting a 10-year target of helping the state’s sportspersons compete successfully at national and international levels.
The scheme raises the annual training assistance available to an athlete to up to Rs 50 lakh and includes dedicated provisions for para-athletes.
The scheme was launched at Mahatma Mandir as part of the state government’s ‘Ramshe Gujarat, Jitshe Gujarat’ initiative. The event also saw the inauguration and foundation stone-laying of around 37 sports complexes, libraries and other facilities worth more than Rs 388 crore across Gujarat.
A total of 799 athletes were honoured with the Eklavya Award, Sardar Patel Award and Jaydeepsinhji Award for their sporting achievements.
Sanghavi said the government was committed to providing young athletes with the support required to pursue their sporting ambitions.
“Shaktidoot 2.0, launched under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, would provide Gujarat’s athletes with a stronger platform to bring recognition to India and the state over the next decade,” he said.
Since 2015, the Shaktidoot scheme has supported 1,740 athletes, including 777 international athletes, who have won medals in various sports.
Under the revised scheme, assistance that was earlier available to 64 athletes will be extended directly to 500 athletes.
Each athlete can receive up to Rs 50 lakh annually for world-class training, equivalent to an average of about Rs 4.25 lakh a month. The scheme also reserves 50 places for para-athletes.
Athletes can apply through the portal throughout the year, with selection based on their medals and performance. The revised framework also seeks to extend opportunities to para, deaf, visually impaired and other Divyang athletes.
Sanghavi said Gujarat would establish what he described as the country’s No. 1 sports science and medicine recovery facility to support athletes recovering from injuries.
“Financial constraints or training requirements should not prevent athletes from pursuing their careers, adding that the state would take responsibility if an athlete required specialised coaching or technical training anywhere in India or abroad,” he emphasised.
With Ahmedabad set to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, the Deputy Chief Minister said athletes would undergo intensive training over the next four years.
He expressed confidence that Gujarat’s athletes would win the highest number of medals for the state at the Games and bring recognition to the country.
Sanghavi said Gujarat’s sporting landscape had changed significantly over the past 25 years.
He recalled that athletes from the state had once been largely associated with traditional sports at national tournaments. Still, he said initiatives such as Khel Mahakumbh and Shaktidoot had helped broaden participation and performance across disciplines.
“Today, Team Gujarat is capable of achieving success in every sport it takes up,” he said.
He also thanked the parents of athletes for supporting their children and urged sportspersons to maintain the spirit of healthy competition.
He appealed to athletes and visitors to keep the newly developed sports complexes and libraries clean.
Secretary of the Sports, Youth and Cultural Activities Department, Dr Rahul Gupta, said athletes across Gujarat had made sport an integral part of their lives. “The state was entering a new phase in its sporting journey and that the foundation laid through Khel Mahakumbh had developed into a wider sports movement,” he said.
Gupta said Shaktidoot 2.0 had been introduced to take that progress further and added that hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games would provide Gujarat with an opportunity to showcase its sporting talent and capabilities internationally.
The programme also featured the launch of a digital audio-visual presentation on Shaktidoot 2.0 and the release of a booklet on the scheme.
A beneficiary of the Shaktidoot scheme said athletes’ medals were the result of talent combined with coaching and suitable facilities.
“Initiatives such as Khel Mahakumbh, DLSS, Centres of Excellence and Shaktidoot provide athletes with the right support from the grassroots to the elite level,” the beneficiary said.
He further added, “Shaktidoot 2.0 will further strengthen this support and create more opportunities for young para, deaf, visually impaired and other Divyang athletes.”
Another beneficiary, who began a sporting career in soft tennis in 2007, said the Shaktidoot scheme, the Sports Authority of Gujarat and other state initiatives had played an important role in the athlete’s progress.
“Today, Gujarat is securing a place among the top 4 and top 5 in the medal tally in the field of sports,” the beneficiary said.
“The vision of ‘Ramshe Gujarat, Jitshe Gujarat’ is providing new opportunities to athletes from the state. After being selected under the Shaktidoot scheme, I have won 57 national and 26 international medals,” he noted.
The event was attended by members of the state Council of Ministers, Gandhinagar Mayor, the District Panchayat President, Members of the Legislative Assembly, athletes and their family members.
–IANS
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