Union Minister MS Gill visits Commonwealth Games sites

Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports MS Gill on Monday visited stadiums in the national capital to have a comprehensive review of the construction progress for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Gill visited Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, Dr. Shyma Prasad Mukherjee Aquatics Complex and Talkatora Indoor Stadium, where construction is under process to host Hockey, Swimming and Boxing events.

Gill was accompanied by officials of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Sports Authority of India, New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and representatives of Organising Committee, who made presentations to the minister, and briefed him about the progress made as on date of various tasks being undertaken.

“Every human effort is being put in to deliver the sporting facilities well before time,” Gill said while talking to reporters after visiting the sites.

The minister informed that Dr. Shyma Prasad Mukherjee Aquatics Complex would be ready well before the time for holding the test events in April, he said the project has a very complex engineering design and its being executed with the advice of several international consultants.

Gill also complimented the engineers and workers for building such complex engineering facilities and emphasised the need to take adequate safety precautions while executing the complex engineering project.

Meanwhile, at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium, where Hockey events will be hosted, Gill said that he was impressed with the progress and plenty of work has been completed, and also said the CPWD officials have assured him that the stadium will be completed by the end of the year.

About the Talkatora Indoor Stadium for Boxing events, the NDMC officials briefed him about various facilities coming up in the stadium and assured him that the stadium will be completed by November this year.

Tourism Industry Ready to take Benefits from Commonwealth Games

Tourism minister Kumari Selja today said that the tourism industry needed to gear up to reap the benefits as over 1 lakh foreigners who are expected to throng the capital during the Commonwealth Games next year.

Speaking on the sidelines of a workshop on World Class Tourism Infrastructure in New Delhi, held at Hotel Ashok today, the minister said that the mega sport event offered a great opportunity to showcase the country by providing the best facilities to tourists.

She added that the provision of comfort and safety, excellent accommodation facilities and greater connectivity should be worked upon in detail in view of the extravaganza.

With a view to facilitate neighbouring states to leverage the business opportunity the minister proposed a single window tax system on Golden Triangle tour route – Jaipur-Delhi-Agra to the transport ministry for the convenience of visitors.

The one-day workshop was held to develop world class tourism infrastructure in consultation with architects, engineering organisations, consultants and tourism managers.

The workshop recorded participation of the heads of the engineering departments of the implementing agencies in the states and union territories, officers from the tourism ministry and experts from agencies including INTACH, CPWD, RITES, NBCC, HUDCO and ITDC.

Commonwealth Games 2010: 2cr Central Fund for Each State

Working towards Vision-2022 to achieve required manpower of 2 lakh to run the hotel and tourism industry, the Union Ministry of Tourism has instructed all states and union territories to train additional youths in their universities, ITIs and engineering and technology colleges. Meanwhile, the ministry would provide a central funding of Rs 2 crore to each state to meet the target of 45,000 trained human resources in the country before the Commonwealth Games in 2010. Presently, there are just 12,000 trained people in the industry.

Disclosing this information to TOI, CITCO general manager (tourism), AK Malhotra said, ‘The Ministry of Tourism has taken a big leap towards enhancing manpower skill in hospitality sector across the country.’

He continued, ‘Keeping in view the upcoming big event of Commonwealth Games and to bridge the huge shortfall of trained manpower in the industry, the ministry has decided to allot training of streams like food and beverages, food production, catering, front office and house-keeping to additional institutes in the states\union territories like universities, industrial training institutes and engineering\technology colleges. Stress would be given to institutes having required infrastructure in their respective premises.’

Malhotra further revealed that this move termed as ‘multi-root access’ to raise manpower in alternate institutes, affiliated with All India Colleges and Technical Institutes, would offer an excellent opportunity to unskilled youngsters to make a vocation in the sector.

Referring to the present hotel management institutes that churn out more and more professionals in the managerial categories, Malhotra said, ‘As need is to enhance the number in service class categories, the ministry is paying more attention and offering many incentive-based special training programmes to raise staff in this sector,’ stressing, ‘we need to do that on a war-footing as the 2010 Games are fast approaching.’

Elaborating more on this job-oriented training programme, Dr Ambedkar Institute of Hotel Management principal Naveen Kumar Nanchahal revealed that the entire programme has been started to lend support to the drop-outs from middle, matric and plus-two classes.

‘Besides providing financial assistance to the tune of Rs 1500 and Rs 2000 to these students, we would also provide them with uniforms and free books. Later, they would be absorbed in jobs with the help of these institutes,’ told Nanchahal.

Stating that the response to the programme at the institute has been tremendous, he informed, ‘We would be starting the first batch of courses in food production and food and beverages on August 17.’

Moving onto the Vision-2022, Nanchahal said majority of jobs are going to be in service sector. ‘Presently, against the yearly target of producing 2 lakh manpower in the industry, we are able to produce only 12,000,’ urging, ‘We will have to produce much more to meet the challenge of upcoming 2010 Commonwealth Games.’

Source: Timesofindia.indiatimes.com