Initiative in U.P. under NSTSS

The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs & Sports, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal has said that the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports had launched the National Sports Talent Search Scheme (NSTSS) in the year 2015. The scheme and the guidelines for its implementation were circulated to all the States/ Union Territories on 20.02.2015. While the work relating to implementation of the scheme was in progress, the Government of India decided to restructure a number of small programmes/schemes with a view to ensure economies of scale and effective implementation. Accordingly, Government, on the advice of Finance Ministry, is in the process of restructuring its existing schemes, including NSTSS, to an umbrella Central Sector Scheme, which includes talent identification. Therefore, no initiative could be taken by the Government in any of the States including Uttar Pradesh under NSTSS which aimed at identifying sporting talent among students in the age group of 8-12 years.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today the Minister said, Funds to the tune of Rs.100 crore, earmarked for NSTSS at the Budget Estimates (BE) stage during the current financial year 2015-16, have been reduced to Rs.15 crore at Revised Estimates (RE) stage.