Government to organise youth camps

Indian Express reports

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government on Thursday decided to organise youth camps in some select venues to give a boost to sports and youth welfare activities.

A high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary BK Patnaik on Thursday decided to organise 45 youth camps in venues selected in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur and Rourkela by the Sports and Youth Services Department. About 10,000 youths from all the blocks are expected to join the camps. Each block will be given an opportunity to sponsor 64 participants in different sports and cultural activities. The Chief Secretary directed the Sports and Youth Services Department to draw up detailed plan, schedule and modalities of the camps by end-November so that the youth camps could be organised in December. He emphasised on selection of youths with positive thinking and commitment for nation building. Bharat Scouts and Guides, National Cadet Corps (NCC) and national youth kendras (NYKs) will be involved in these camps. It has also been decided that youth clubs will be actively involved in promotion of sports and youth welfare activities. For this purpose, about 10,371 clubs operating at panchayat level will be given a grant-in-aid of ` 5,000 each. The Chief Secretary also advised the department to scale up adventure sports activities in association with Coast Guard and NCC units. The department has been asked to prepare a detailed plan for augmentation of sports equipment and infrastructure facilities in sports hostels.

Patnaik also advised the department to plan a special academic curriculum for inmates of sports hostels and provide better quality coaching, gyms and other amenities in the institutions. Development Commissioner R N Senapati, Principal Secretary, Finance, Jugal Kishore Patnaik, Director, Sports & Youth Services, Saswat Mishra participated in the discussions.