Govt plans grassroots sports activities to keep youths away from drugs: Aminul

The government has adopted an integrated plan to expand sports competitions and training programmes at ward, union and upazila levels to ensure the physical and mental well-being of young people and prevent their involvement in drug abuse and juvenile gangs.

State Minister for Youth and Sports Md Aminul Haque disclosed the plan in reply to a starred question from ruling party lawmaker from reserved-seat Newaz Halima Arly (Women’s Seat-5) in the Jatiya Sangsad today (9 November).

“The government has adopted an integrated action plan involving the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Education, Local Government Division and various sports organisations to ensure the physical and mental well-being of young people, keep them away from drugs and juvenile gangs, and engage them in positive social activities,” he said.

With speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir Bikrom in the chair, Aminul said the government had taken various effective initiatives to identify talented players and create opportunities for developing sporting talent from the grass roots level.

As part of the initiative, the government has launched the ‘Notun Kuri Sports’ programme, under which children aged between 10 and 14 years will compete in 10 sporting disciplines at the union level.

The events include football, cricket, kabaddi, athletics, badminton, volleyball, table tennis,swimming, chess and martial arts.

The state minister said the government was also taking steps to recruit some 11,880 sports teachers across the country to strengthen grassroots sports activities.

He said the recruitment process was underway following an inter-ministerial meeting between the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education.

Under the proposed arrangement, three sports teachers will be appointed for each of eight sporting disciplines in every one of the country’s 495 upazilas, creating a total of 11,880 posts.

Aminul Haque said regular sports competitions, training programmes and skills development activities were being conducted through coordination among relevant ministries, local government institutions and sports organisations.

“The Department of Youth Development is also conducting skill development training programmes to engage young people in productive and constructive activities,” he added.

He further said the government had been implementing plans to establish a mini-stadium in every upazila and a playground in every union to ensure wider access to sports facilities.

The initiatives aim to develop sporting talent from the grass roots, promote healthy lifestyles among young people and strengthen their engagement in positive social activities, he added.