ROURKELA: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday virtually launched the ‘One Step Ahead’ initiative for development and promotion of hockey at the grassroots level across Sundargarh district. A joint venture of JSP Foundation of Jindal Steel and Power (JSP) and Dilip Tirkey Sports Research and Development Foundation (DTSRDF), the initiative was launched at the Biju Patnaik Hockey Stadium of SAIL in Sector-5 here.
Appreciating the efforts of JSP Foundation and DTSRDF, the CM said the initiative will further strengthen hockey at grassroots level in Sundargarh. Under the ‘One Step Ahead’ initiative, JSP Foundation has provided hockey kits, sticks, balls and jerseys to 5,000 budding talents of 215 village in 10 blocks of Sundargarh. It has also committed to extend nutritional and academic support to young players identified by the DTSRDF.
Similarly, DTSRDF would train the players using the newly-constructed hockey training centres across the 10 blocks. For development of rural young talents with necessary exposure, the DTSRDF will also organise different hockey events and tournaments.
Hockey India president and DTSRDF chairman Dilip Tirkey said, “Grassroots hockey is the foundation. If we strengthen it, we will never look back. Our first responsibility will be to find the right talents and train them properly so that not a single good player is left out.”
The messages of JSP chairman Naveen Jindal and JSP Foundation chairperson Shallu Jindal were also read out on the occasion. The JSP Foundation felicitated Dominic Toppo for volunteering support and nurturing rural players. More than 5,000 young hockey players of 215 villages and below 15 years of age joined the launching ceremony.
A host of former international hockey players including Olympian and son of hockey legend Dhyanchand Ashok Kumar, Olympians Virendra Lakra and Ignesh Tirkey, former hockey coach and Dronacharya awardee Ajay Bansal and former Hockey India skipper Subhadra Pradhan attended the event.
Among others, Labour and ESI Minister Sarada Prasad Nayak, Skill Development and Technical Education Minister Priti Ranjan Gharai, Sports and Youth Services Minister Tushar Kanti Behera, RN Pali MLA Subrat Tarai and president and group head (CSR) of JSP Prashant Hota were present.