Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], August 11 (ANI): To take Gujarat’s sports activities sector to new heights and encourage gifted athletes who convey glory to the state and the nation, the Government of Gujarat, beneath the steering of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and the management of Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, has launched main reforms within the ‘Shaktidoot Yojana’ and launched ‘Shaktidoot 2.0’.
With the motto ‘Ramshe Gujarat, Jitshe Gujarat’, Deputy CM will launch the scheme statewide tomorrow, August 12, from Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, in line with a press launch.
In addition, Deputy CM will distribute awards to 799 gifted athletes and nearly carry out the e-Bhoomi Pujan and e-inauguration of assorted sports activities complexes and libraries value over Rs 388 crore throughout the state. Under this programme, athletes shall be introduced with the Eklavya Award, Sardar Patel Award and Jaydeepsinhji Award.
The major goal of this scheme is to establish the potential of promising athletes within the state and supply them with need-based sports activities amenities, nutritious weight loss plan, trendy tools, coaching in India and overseas, skilled coaches and medical help to organize champions for worldwide platforms such because the Olympics and Asian Games.
Notably, since 2015, athletes beneath this scheme have received a complete of 1,604 medals, together with 831 on the nationwide degree and 773 on the worldwide degree, bringing glory to the state.
Under the brand new ‘Shaktidoot 2.0’, monetary help has been considerably elevated for the general growth of athletes. Based on the wants and excellent efficiency of athletes, the utmost help has been elevated from Rs. 25 lakh to Rs. 50 lakh.
In addition, giving precedence to inclusivity, para, deaf, blind, and Divyang athletes may also be offered equal alternatives and equal help beneath the scheme. The variety of athletes lined beneath the scheme may also be elevated in phases. To establish new expertise from the ‘Grassroots’ Level itself, the minimal age restrict for making use of has additionally been diminished from 12 to twenty years to above 9 years.
As per the brand new reforms, athletes will obtain steady help primarily based on their efficiency and the fastened time restrict has been eliminated. To make the choice course of extra skilled and clear, a scientific point-based marking system has been launched with the participation of sports activities specialists within the Screening and Selection Committee, giving acceptable precedence to competitions such because the Olympics, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.
In addition, athletes who should not included within the Shaktidoot Yojana however display excellent efficiency through the yr shall be offered instant monetary help beneath the ‘Shaktidoot B’ initiative. A clear system has additionally been developed to improve classes primarily based on efficiency by way of annual and biannual evaluations of athletes.
The Department of Sports, Youth and Cultural Activities will organise a grand programme for the inauguration and basis stone laying of growth tasks value over Rs. 388 crore throughout varied districts of the state by DyCM.
These embrace 11 taluka-level sports activities complexes, 7 libraries and a couple of examine halls, 7 district-level sports activities complexes, 5 libraries and a couple of municipal libraries. Under these tasks, public-oriented works together with district and taluka-level sports activities complexes, trendy libraries, examine halls, sports activities hostels, 400-metre athletic artificial tracks, astroturf hockey grounds and campus growth have been included throughout districts together with Ahmedabad, Amreli, Anand, Botad, Dahod, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Gir-Somnath, Jamnagar, Kutch, Mahisagar, Mehsana, Morbi, Navsari, Patan, Porbandar, Surendranagar, Tapi, Valsad and Swarnim Gujarat Sports University, Vadodara.
At the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021, three athletes, and on the Paris Olympics held in 2024, three athletes have been chosen to signify the nation.
At the seventeenth Asian Games in South Korea in 2014, three athletes have been chosen to signify India, adopted by seven athletes on the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018 and 7 athletes on the nineteenth Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, in 2023.
One athlete every additionally represented the nation on the Asian Winter Games in 2017 and 2025. Recently, 9 athletes supported beneath the Shaktidoot Scheme have been chosen to signify India on the twentieth Asian Games to be held in Aichi, Japan, in 2026.
At the twentieth Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2014, two athletes have been chosen to signify the nation, adopted by two athletes on the twenty first Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia in 2018 and two athletes on the twenty second Commonwealth Games in England in 2022. Recently, one athlete was chosen to signify the nation on the twenty third Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2026.
Thus, athletes beneath the Shaktidoot Yojana have received 831 medals on the nationwide degree and 773 medals on the worldwide degree, making a complete of 1,604 medals since 2015, thereby bringing glory to Gujarat. (ANI)