TIRUPATI: Minister for IT, Electronics and HRD Nara Lokesh on Wednesday announced that the State government is preparing a comprehensive 90-day action plan to boost sports development. He said the government will collect suggestions from athletes and sports experts to design a world-class system for nurturing talent.
Addressing a meeting with national and international-level elite sportspersons at the newly inaugurated NTR sports stadium in Tirupati on Wednesday, the minister said the government is committed to developing Rayalaseema as a sports hub. He recalled that during his 3,132-km Yuvagalam padayatra, he understood the aspirations of youth and promised to strengthen sports infrastructure in the region.
Lokesh said discussions had already been held with members of the Indian women’s cricket team to gather inputs on sports development. He noted that more than 421 candidates secured jobs under the sports quota in the recent Mega DSC recruitment and added that their talent would be utilised to further strengthen the sports ecosystem. He also stressed the need to improve fitness levels among children, identifying it as a key factor behind poor performance in sports.
Referring to past initiatives, Lokesh said a sports village established during the tenure of N. Chandrababu Naidu in Hyderabad produced several national and international players.
He added that special plans are being prepared for sports development in growth corridors such as Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Tirupati, ensuring transparency in providing job opportunities to athletes.