Union Sports activities Minister Anurag Thakur addresses an occasion in New Delhi. File
| Picture Credit score: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
Sports activities Minister Anurag Thakur on February 29 introduced that the federal government will situation digital certificates to registered athletes throughout the nation, a transfer which might guarantee a clear account of their participation and efficiency.
The digital certificates could have dates of the athletes’ participation in competitions and function proof of their achievements.
“With athletes on the coronary heart of our progressing and rising sporting ecosystem, the sports activities ministry has made a vital choice to advertise the ‘issuance of digital certificates to athletes’,” wrote Mr. Thakur on ‘X’.
The Ministry has directed all Nationwide Sports activities Federations (NSFs) to solely launch benefit and participation certificates by the DigiLocker.
The Minister had first introduced his plan to simplify issues for athletes and Nationwide Sports activities Federations (NSFs) in the course of the Nationwide Sports activities Day on August 29 final yr.
On February 29, the Minister mentioned, “Maintaining with our coverage of ‘athlete-first’, NSFs have been advocated to situation certificates to athletes through DigiLocker, an initiative of Ministry of Electronics and IT.” He mentioned the digital certificates will add a brand new side to sports activities administration and administration of sportspersons.
“This choice has been taken to make sure the accessibility, safety and veracity of paperwork and promote transparency and effectivity within the sports activities administration of the NSFs. This can additional result in ease of residing for our sportspersons throughout the nation.
“From June 1 this yr, solely certificates issued by the (sports activities) federations by Digilocker shall be legitimate and no bodily certificates issued might be recognised for presidency and different advantages. We’ve suggested the federations that their affiliated items should additionally begin issuing the certificates by the DigiLocker from January 1 subsequent yr,” added Thakur.
Enumerating the advantages of issuing sports activities certificates by DigiLocker, Thakur mentioned it is going to make entry and sharing of certificates straightforward, remove the necessity for bodily copies, present a safe setting for storing and verifying paperwork and guarantee their integrity and authenticity.
This, he mentioned, would streamline the certificates issuance course of and scale back administrative burden.
“These certificates are proof of the athletes’ dedication, effort, and accomplishments of their respective sports activities, and are at the moment distributed by outdated and inefficient, standard strategies,” he mentioned, including that NSFs should put in place technology-based instruments and options to serve the curiosity of sports activities, particularly athletes.