The Union Sports Minister's visit
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: April 06, 2011 -

UNION MINISTER of Youth Affairs & Sports Ajay Maken made his maiden trip to Manipur as minister as he arrived here in Imphal on April 4 on a two day visit. Ostensibly Maken's visit was to launch the Centre's Youth Employability Skill (YES) project.

The YES project inaugurated by the Minister will be covering all the NE states including Sikkim. The basic purpose of the scheme is to identify and train youth to boost their chances of getting a job or to start an individual enterprise. The nodal agency will be the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) which will be jointly promoted by the Union Ministry of Finance and the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports.

The scheme has been launched keeping in view the Prime Minister's vision of creating 500 million certified and skilled persons in the country by 2022. The scheme also intends to set up linkages with financial institutions and industry partners. Having created this trained human resource pool the intention is to link it up with government departments or government schemes and to liaison with the corporate sector.

As far as the NE region is concerned the project will cover 59 districts and the initial target is about 8000 youths. Manipur was chosen as the place to launch the project for the NE Region. If the state government wishes to put its head down into the project the burden of joblessness can definitely be lessened.

The state government will find it difficult to absorb YES trained youth but their chances of getting employment outside the state will be highly enhanced. The state government should identify target areas for our youths to be trained in. It is on these areas that the YES project in Manipur should focus.

And whatever advantages there are in the fact that the project for the NE Region was launched in Manipur should be availed of. Let us not lag behind other states in the region on how to take better advantage of the project

Ajay Maken also inspected the sports facilities in the Khuman Lampak Sports Complex and went to Churachandpur to inspect various developmental schemes undertaken under the sponsorship of his ministry.

At his request he met with the state's top sports persons at Khuman Lampak. At the sports complex, he declared that the future of India's sports lay with the talented sports persons of Manipur. He assured that the state will be provided all assistance by the Centre to produce world class sports persons.

He also declared that his ministry will carry out all repairs and renovations of the stadiums and the playing fields in the Khuman Lampak Sports Complex. He further assured that the Centre is ready to supply all necessary equipment for the sports persons.

He said, if needed, foreign coaches will be engaged along with the latest technical know how to see that Manipur's sports persons reach international standards. Regarding the sports segment of his visit, Ajay Maken's remarks have come as a very big disappointment.

For two successive National Games, apart from international events, Manipur has proved that its prowess in sports is beyond the reach of any other state. Manipur deserves a special treatment, it has earned it.

Ajay Maken's statements on the other hand ought to have been made for other states who strive to do well in sports. He may be the deserving candidate of his bosses to hold his post but he certainly does not deserve Manipur's interest and attention. Instead of being appalled by the lack of infrastructure and equipment he settled for the niggardly offer of repairing Khuman Lampak's sports facilities.

One does not know how much of the fiasco was created by poor planning and projection from the state government's side. Anyway as far as our sports stars are concerned his visit was a damp squid.

One wonders why Ajay Maken made a trip all the way from Delhi just to tell us our sports persons are the best in the country, that we all know, and we have known it before the rest of India grudgingly accepted it.