National sports university and policy-practice inconsistencies
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: February 14, 2015 -

Amidst tumbling National Games records coming from Kerala in different sports disciplines came the heart-warming news that about Rs 100 crore has been allocated for upgrading sports facilities in Imphal.

To top it, another Rs 25 crore would be added to the State exchequer by March, again for upgrading and modernizing sports infrastructure.

Indeed people of Manipur are grateful to the Government of India for the substantial amounts of funds sanctioned for augmenting the sports industry of Manipur.

However, it must be accepted by one and all that there is not an iota of generosity on the part of the Government of India decided to set up a National Sports University in Manipur and pump in more money into the State’s sports infrastructure.

The sports university as well as the additional funds pumped into the State’s sports industry is trophies won by the spectacular performances of players from Manipur in national and international competitions over the decades.

Hundreds of Manipuri players are currently playing for different States/clubs. Till Thursday, Manipur’s medal haul at the 35th National Games stands at 59 with 18 gold, 18 silver and 23 bronze.

This tally is not at all satisfactory given the domineering performance of the State in the preceding National Games. Yet, it cannot be dismissed as a total failure.

Manipur now occupies 7th position in the medal’s tally and this is no mean achievement.

Nonetheless, the below-par performance of the State demands a serious soul-searching on the part of the State’s sports fraternity, the Government and the general public.

Meanwhile, the draft bill for setting up a National Sports University in Manipur while the Manipur Government has already acquired bulk of land at Thoubal district and the university is likely to start admissions for the next academic session 2015-16.

This was precisely what the Press Trust of India reported on Thursday. Indeed, sports have assumed the status of a fledgling industry in Manipur with many sports persons securing employment in police, paramilitary forces, et al on regular basis.

So far, so good. It cannot be overlooked that there were violent protest demonstrations against the Government’s insistence to set up the sports university at Yaithibi Loukon, Thoubal district.

As the name suggests, Yaithibi Loukon is a sizeable tract of agricultural land. The moot question is, is the Government genuinely helpless to spare the agricultural land and explore an alternative site.

Yes, a spirit of sportsmanship handed down from generations to generations runs deep in the veins of Manipuri people.

At the same time, the crucial importance of agriculture can never be undermined for a nation’s food security is closely intertwined with its agricultural productivity.

Again there is the Manipur Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act 2014 which was enacted by the incumbent State Government with the primary objective of conserving paddy land and wetland in order to promote agricultural sector in the State.

The contradiction or incongruence between the law-makers and the law they enacted is simply stark, striking and obnoxiously unpalatable.

Though it is a little late, the State Government, if sincere enough to implement its own law in letter and spirit, can definitely Yaithibi Loukon.

To remind our readers, particularly the top honchos of the State Government, it was Koutruk which first offered land for the proposed sports university.

Our humble suggestion is, promote games and sports and at the same time, let agriculture flourishes.

Definitely, the National Sports University when it becomes a reality would be a prized asset for all the people of Manipur.

But realization of a prized asset should not be at the cost of sacrificing prime agricultural land which is fundamental for the State’s food security.

We are not asking the Government to do any balancing act between sports and agriculture. We are just asking the policy makers to plan and act with a vision. Are we asking too much?