VISAKHAPATNAM: As part of National Sports Day celebrations, 480 sportspersons will be felicitated by HRD and IT Minister Nara Lokesh at the AU Convention Centre in Visakhapatnam on Friday.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) Chairperson Ravi Naidu said that international players from the State, along with medal winners at the national, Khelo India, and Asian-level competitions, will be honoured. “This is the first time in SAAP’s history that State-level competitions were organised under the title ‘Amaravati Championship’ as part of National Sports Day,” he said.
Naidu noted that 24,700 sportspersons participated in events this year and added that efforts are underway to increase the number to one lakh by next year’s National Sports Day. “We are considering declaring the month of August as ‘Sports Month’ to encourage greater participation,” he revealed.
Highlighting the government’s policy, Naidu said that 421 posts have been allocated to sportspersons under the 3% sports quota in the recent DSC recruitment. “Without the need for written tests, the coalition government has fulfilled a 40-year-old demand of sportspersons by providing job opportunities. Going forward, all upcoming notifications will reserve 3% of posts under the sports quota,” he stated.
He further noted that the present government is prioritising sports.