Recently, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has launched National Air Sport Policy 2022 (NASP 2022).
It has been drafted based on the inputs received from policy makers, air sports practitioners and public at large and will ensure establishment of good quality of infrastructure, equipment, instructors and services.
Q. What is NASP 2022?
A.
About:
NASP 2022 lays out the vision of making India as one of the top sports nations by 2030, by providing a safe, affordable, accessible, enjoyable and sustainable air sports ecosystem in India.
Objectives:
Promote an air sports culture in the country.
Enable adoption of international good practices in safety including but not limited to, air sports infrastructure, equipment, operations, maintenance and training.
Develop a simple, stakeholder-friendly and effective governance structure.
Enhance participation and success of Indian sportspersons in global air sports events.
Promote design, development and manufacturing of air sports equipment in India in line with the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.
Governing Bodies: There will be four-tier governance structure for air sports in India namely:
Air Sports Federation of India (ASFI) as the apex governing body.
National associations for individual air sports or a set of air sports, as appropriate
Regional (e.g. West/ South/ North East etc.) or State and Union Territory level units of the national air sports associations, as appropriate; and
District-level air sports associations, as appropriate.
Sports Covered:
Aerobatics, Aero modeling and model rocketry, Amateur-built and experimental aircraft, Ballooning, Drones, Gliding and powered gliding, Hang gliding and powered hang gliding, Parachuting (including skydiving, BASE jumping and wing suits etc.), Paragliding and para motoring (including powered parachute trikes etc.), Powered aircraft (including ultra light, micro light and light sports aircraft etc.), Rotorcraft (including autogyro).
Significance:
India has the potential to be among the leading nations in the world of air sports. It has a large geographical expanse, diverse topography and fair weather conditions.
It has a large population, especially the youth. It has a growing culture for adventure sports and aviation.
Other than the direct revenue from air sports activities, the multiplier benefits in terms of growth of travel, tourism, infrastructure and local employment, especially in hilly areas of the country, are several times greater.
Creation of air sports hubs across the country will also bring in air sports professionals and tourists from across the world.
Q. What are the Government Initiatives for Sports Development?
A.
Khelo India Scheme.
National Sports Development Fund.
The National Sports Talent Contest (NSTC) Scheme.
Sports Authority of India Training Centres Scheme (STC).
Special Area Games (SAG) Scheme.
Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS)
Khelo India Youth Games
Q. What is the Way Forward?
A.
There is need to leverage the energy of Indian youth below the age of 35 which accounts for 70 % of India's population which is larger than the total population of Europe and three times that of USA.
