– Ronita Torcato

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has issued a comprehensive internship policy for its autonomous bodies to provide opportunities to students, researchers and young professionals, for gaining practical experience in sports administration, management, science and governance.

Detailed information of the policy, including its key features such as sports science, anti-doping support to athletes, institutional partners associated with the programme, and number of internships available, can be accessed at the official website https://yas.gov.in of the Ministry which was first set up as the Department of Sports in 1982 at the time of the IX Asian Games.

“The policy aims to provide opportunities for deserving youth to understand and experience the sports ecosystem, with a long-term view to improve employability and professionalism in the sports sector,” Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya stated in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

The Ministry is headed by a cabinet level minister in each state where it supports and conducts sporting activities. In Maharashtra, it also presents the annual Shiv Chhatrapati State Sports Awards to the best sportspersons in various disciplines.

Sunetra Ajit Pawar has been given charge as deputy chief minister of Maharashtra and minister of sports and youth affairs on January 31 after the untimely death of her husband Ajit Pawar, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president and former deputy chief minister, in a plane crash with four others near Baramati, his hometown in Pune district.

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