New Delhi: A three-day National Conference of Central and State/UT Ministers and Secretaries of Tourism, Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports will be held in Kutch, Gujarat from tomorrow. Hon’ble Prime Minister will deliver the inaugural address through video conferencing and also interact with the participants at the end of the conference on the outcomes achieved.

This will be for the first time that State Ministers of Tourism, Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports will be meeting together and that too at a place like Kutch.

The Conference aims at achieving the necessary convergence among tourism, culture, youth affairs and sports and synergy between the Central Government and the States/UTs. It will also attempt to draw up an action plan for utilization of sports facilities for promoting Tourism, Culture and Youth welfare.

The Conference will also discuss sectoral issues which have emerged out of the deliberations of the Groups of Secretaries. Such sectoral issues relating to sports include integration of sports with education, bringing sports to the Concurrent List of the Constitution, strategy for the next three Olympics, setting up of sports science departments in identified universities, grass-root development of sports and improving the standard of school competitions and university games.

Convergence of Cultural aspects with sporting events will create tourist hubs to the mutual benefit of sports and tourism. The Department of Sports organises various mega sports events like the recently concluded South Asian Games in 2016, the forthcoming FIFA U-17 Football World Cup, the Himalayan Region Sports Festival and the National Games to be held in Goa which can be showcased along with the culture of the country as well as the place where the event is being held. Similarly, water sports, aero sports, adventure sports, etc., can be organised with a firm calender every year in convergence and coordination with Culture and Tourism Ministries.

The Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports, Shri Vijay Goel will address the Conference on all three days. He has expressed the hope that the convergence achieved through the Conference will give an impetus to development of all the concerned sectors. He pointed out that this would be the second time in three months that the Sports Ministers of States / UTs would be meeting. The last meeting of the State/UT Ministers for Youth Affairs & Sports was held in New Delhi on 15TH November, 2016. Shri Goel said that such frequent interactions are necessary to achieve the necessary cooperation and coordination between the Centre and the States for promotion and development of sports in the country.

PIB