Rajasthan’s much-awaited ‘Sports Policy 2024’ is set to be unveiled soon. To foster a vibrant sports culture in the state, the government has released a draft of the policy online, inviting suggestions from the public. After reviewing the feedback, the final version is expected to be approved in an upcoming cabinet meeting. The policy highlights key reforms, including enhancing transparency in sports associations, providing pensions to former athletes, and ensuring medical insurance coverage for players. These measures aim to support and uplift the sports community in Rajasthan, ensuring a more inclusive and sustainable future for its athletes.
Indian Masterminds recently engaged with Mr. Neeraj Kumar Pawan, an IAS officer from the 2003 batch and the current Secretary of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports as well as the President of the Rajasthan State Sports Council, to gain deeper insights into the state’s evolving sports landscape.
Mr. Pawan shared that in alignment with the government’s vision, the proposed Sports Policy 2024 incorporates key elements such as advanced sports infrastructure, sports science, performance analysis, athlete counseling, and nutrition. These measures are designed to provide a significant boost to sports development in Rajasthan, ensuring a more holistic approach to nurturing talent and enhancing performance across various disciplines.
THE POLICY DRAFT
The Rajasthan Sports Policy 2024 has been introduced with the vision of underscoring the pivotal role sports play in the holistic development of athletes and youth. Its primary goal is to establish an enabling environment that promotes sports at every level across the state. The draft of the policy has been made publicly available online for review and feedback.
With a roadmap extending to 2029, the policy aims to achieve several key objectives, including fostering sports for all, developing athlete-centered and coach-driven systems, and modernizing sports infrastructure. The focus will be on providing world-class training facilities, implementing evidence-based development programs, and supporting athletes in their pursuit of national and international success, with a special emphasis on Olympic preparation through Mission Olympics.
The policy also stresses gender and regional equity, rewards excellence, and provides support to para-athletes. It aligns with the FIT Rajasthan initiative to promote physical fitness across the state. Furthermore, it outlines plans to improve governance, accelerate digitalization, and foster private sector partnerships for sports development.
Reflecting on the vision behind the policy, Mr. Pawan stated, “Our aim is to make Rajasthan a vibrant and leading state in sports, where athletes are at the heart of all sporting activities. We also aim to leverage sports as a powerful tool to drive societal benefits, including enhancing community health and well-being, fostering sporting excellence, and advancing the overall sports ecosystem.”
ASOOCIATIONS & GOVERNANCE
The new sports policy reintroduces provisions from the 2013 policy that were not previously implemented, including a fixed three-term limit for office bearers of recognized state sports associations, with a four-year gap between terms. Additionally, individuals who have served for 12 years or are over 70 years old will no longer be eligible to contest elections within any association or union. The policy also mandates the formation of a five-member players’ committee, including current international players and at least two female athletes. Furthermore, the policy calls for commercialization and administrative restructuring within the sports associations.
PENSION & INSURANCE
For the first time in Rajasthan, a sports pension program has been introduced, offering financial support to athletes who win medals in prestigious events such as the Olympic Games, Para Olympic Games, Asian Games, Para Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and Para Commonwealth Games. Additionally, Arjuna and Dronacharya awardee coaches will also be eligible for this pension. The new sports policy also includes a medical insurance provision, offering Rs 10 lakh coverage for international-level players and Rs 5 lakh for national-level players, ensuring better health security for athletes.
GOING DIGITAL
A digital platform will be developed for the online application and approval process of sports certificates, enabling digital scrutiny to streamline the issuance and verification of certificates, ensuring greater transparency and efficiency.
TECHNICAL WING
The new sports policy in the state will establish a Sports Technical Wing and form an Athlete Commission to create a more athlete-centric governance system. The Technical Wing will play a crucial role in evaluating and enhancing the quality of coaching. To identify and nurture talent at the grassroots level, the policy promotes district leagues and inter-club competitions. Additionally, clubs in districts will be required to register, ensuring better organization and resource access for athletes. These initiatives are designed to bring clarity to sports administration and improve the overall structure of athlete development across the state.
STADIUMS
The government is building the Rajasthan State Sports Institute (RSSI) in Jodhpur, which will include a sports complex, a physical education college, and a para-sports academy for coach and athlete development. A multi-sport High-Performance Center (HPC) will also be established in Jaipur. Sports infrastructure will be upgraded with 6-lane clay tracks at the block level, 8-lane cinder tracks at the district level, and synthetic tracks at the divisional level. Over the next five years, the government aims to improve sports stadiums in each district and establish sports colleges at the divisional level to promote sports education.
To empower women athletes, residential girls’ sports institutes will be set up at the divisional level. These institutes will offer dedicated training, state-of-the-art facilities, and opportunities for female athletes to excel in their chosen sports.
PARA-ATHLETES
To foster a competitive and inclusive community of para-athletes in Rajasthan, the Sports Policy 2024 includes plans to establish specialized academies for para-athletes at the division level. These academies will provide dedicated training and support to athletes with disabilities, helping them reach their full potential and represent the state on national and international platforms.
To build a competitive community of para-athletes in the state, specialized academies will be established at the division level to provide dedicated training and support. Additionally, with a focus on the future of sports in Rajasthan, a National Institute of Sports (NIS) Diploma Sub-Centre will be set up under the Sports Authority of India (SAI). This centre will be modeled on the renowned Netaji Subhash National Institute of Sports (NSNIS) in Patiala, aimed at enhancing sports coaching and developing skilled professionals to elevate the state’s sports infrastructure.
NO-CESS
There were reports suggesting that the state government’s new sports policy included a provision for imposing a “sports cess”—a dedicated tax allocation for specific areas—to ensure sufficient funding for the development of sports. However, in an interview with Indian Masterminds, Mr. Pawan denied these claims, stating that no such cess would be implemented under the current policy.
