NSDF inks historic MOU with NTPC and REC for development of sports in India

NSDF of Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) with NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation) Foundation and REC (Rural Electrification Corporation) foundation, on Wednesday.

The signing ceremony took place in the presence of Sh. Anurag Singh Thakur, Hon’ble Union Minister, Youth Affairs & Sports and Information and Broadcasting, and Sh. RK Singh, Hon’ble Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy. The financial support given by NTPC is Rs 115 Crores over the next 5 years and they will be supporting Archery discipline in India. REC Foundation has also committed an amount of Rs 100 Crores over 3 years to support Women’s Hockey, Athletics and Boxing. The support towards NSDF has come through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) mandate.

“Two PSUs from the Power Ministry have put a total of Rs 215 crore for the development of sports, making it a historic occasion,” mentioned Shri Anurag Singh Thakur. “Everyone, from the corporates to individuals and from various institutions to States, should work together as a team. This MoU signing will give a big motivation to our athletes.

“Earlier, I had urged online donations at NSDF, to adopt an athlete, a sport and an academy. Now, both NTPC and REC have adopted both sports and athletes. This has all happened because of the vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi. There are many PSUs but the ones who come forward help in building soft power of india, help athletes stay out of addiction and also motivate them to perform higher in international stage,” added Shri Thakur.

Also present in the ceremony on Wednesday were Sh. Sandip Pradhan, Director General, SAI, as well as athletes and coaches from Archery, Boxing, Hockey and Athletics discipline, including Abhishek Verma(Compound Archery), Savita Punia (Women’s Hockey), Amit Panghal (Men’s Boxing) and Avinash Sable (Men’s 3000m Steeplechase). CMD of REC Vivek Kumar Dewangan and CMD NTPC Gurdeep Singh were also present in the ceremony.

The support from NTPC and REC Foundation will cover the following: Grassroots development of the sports, training of identified talent, training of elite talent, coach development, sports science support, advance training and more.

Elaborating on the MoU signed, Shri RK Singh mentioned, “We from the Power Ministry are grateful to have done something for the further development of sports in India, through NTPC and REC. We have adopted just a few sports disciplines today but going forward, we want to adopt more disciplines and continue in the development of more facilities and coaches. We promise our Ministry will be associated in doing all possible in further development of sports in the country.”

The National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) was established in 1998 under the Charitable Endowments Act 1890 and was notified by the Government of India in November, 1998. The purpose of the fund is to impart momentum and flexibility to assisting the cause of sports in India. It helps sportsperson excel by providing them with varied opportunities to train under coaches of international repute, provide financial assistance for development of infrastructure and other activities for promotion of sports.