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Sportingly different
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Promoting sports in rural areas will be our goal, says Sumitra Dawra, MD, SAAP in conversation with V.V.SUBRAHMANYAM
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SHE IS determined to be different, handling the affairs of the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh. Not keen on talking big and setting big goals, she has decided to prefer a more practical option - to go to rural areas and promote sports in a big way. Refusing to comment on controversial subjects like the Rs 700-crore IMG Bharata Academy and also the Formula One project, Sumita Dawra, who has taken charge only a few days ago, has decided to concentrate on simple things in a big way.
For instance, she has given standing instructions to officers-in-charge of all the 13 SAAP Academies in the State to take corrective steps to make them more accountable. Henceforth, there will be a serious review of the Academies on the fifth of every month. "The logic is simple. If the in-charge personnel are claiming the bills (at one stretch) after 12 to 13 months, it does affect the quality of diet being provided to the inmates. And considering that close Rs 9 lakhs only on diet allowances is being spent on each Academy, this is a pretty serious issue," she says. Consequently, from now on, the Academy officials have to get their bills cleared bi-monthly. Interestingly, each Deputy Director will be in charge of two Academies and there will be inspection officers too.
This is just the beginning of a series of simple steps Sumita Dawra is planning to initiate. The other major venture is to involve the 12,000-odd Physical Education Teachers in tapping the sporting talent. "We are aiming at a two-pronged strategy of involving schools in a big way from mandal to district level. The whole concept is to ensure that there is maximum retention in the schools by making facilities available in recreational sports and also conducting competitions to the children in the sub-junior groups," she explains.
Sumita Dawra also asserts that instead of preferring a heavy schedule, a few select disciplines - which don't mean much financial burden but ensure greater participation,- like athletics, cricket, volleyball, kho kho, kabaddi, carrom and chess - were identified as the key areas of focus. Apparently, a lot of discussion and thought has been put into the whole process, for very soon a meeting of the DSDOs in those Districts where the SAAP Academies are located is convened to train them in the art of better administration for better results. In fact, all the coaches, the PETs and the DSDOs will be provided with a booklet containing the world records in respective disciplines to assess for themselves the talent available at different levels and thereby suggest necessary action to mould raw talent into a performing individual. Once the preliminary measures are taken care of, the leading national and international sportspersons will be involved in the crucial selection process for the SAAP Academies, insists Sumitra Dawra.
The top official of SAAP will soon engage in high-level discussions with various wings on the proper utilisation of the world class infrastructure that has come up for the 2002 National Games and the inaugural Afro-Asian Games last October. "We have huge international standard equipment which is under-utilised. For better utility value, we have called for inventories to know what exactly has been procured and supplied, so that it'll enable us to come up with a comprehensive action plan," Sumita Dawra says. And she is confident of achieving her "simple goals" despite a marginal decrease in the allocation of budget to SAAP this year - Rs 18 crores for plan and Rs 8.62 crores for non-plan (compared to Rs 21 and 7.6 crores last year). At the same time she stresses that she is not over-enthusiastic in trying to put spokes by touching every subject of SAAP. "Let me make it clear. Three issues are key to us - focus on promotion of sports in rural areas, utilisation of infrastructure and equipment available and ensuring that no deserving sportsperson is denied the facilities or the support in pursuit of excellence at the highest level," she explains.
Commenting on the role of the Associations, Sumita Dawra hopes that they would do their job and help the SAAP in its efforts. "To put it simply, we welcome any initiative by them which will help sports, " she adds. The VC and MD of SAAP also made it clear the Federations are welcome to conduct their national camps if they serve the primary purpose of creating the infrastructure. Refusing to say whether there will be any clear deviations from the laid-down sports policy like the emphasis henceforth will be only on competitions and less on infrastructure or whether she is feeling comfortable in the SAAP, Sumita Dawra merely says she was trying to be creative in discharging her duties. "First, let some good things be done and then think of others later," she concludes.
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