Operation Kalari to give sports sector a makeover

Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs O.J. Janeesh has announced Operation Kalari for comprehensive overhaul of the sports sector. Operation Kalari will not only emphasise basic infrastructure development to modernise the sports sector but also address the inadequacies of the current facilities.

The Minister said Operation Kalari (Kerala Alliance for Local Athletic Revamp and Infrastructure) aimed at giving a new lease of life to sports assets in the State and their professional upkeep. Development of infrastructure in stadiums, swimming pools, sports hostels, and gymnasiums across the State, their maintenance, renovation, and equipping them properly will be the primary objective of Kalari.

PPP model

The initiative will be implemented in public-private partnership model. Sports assets under the Sports department, Kerala State Sports Council, district sports councils, and the local bodies will be repaired with the support of sponsors, renovated, equipped with sporting equipment, and properly maintained. Kalari will ensure public ownership of the facilities and professional care, make use of sponsor support, and give priority to sportspersons.

Sponsors can become part of the initiative in various ways. They can take up civil and electrical work through maintenance-renovation sponsorship, turf renovation, installation of floodlights, and toilet renovation. They can take up the responsibility of sports facilities for a period of three to five years through the adoption model. They can also provide modern gym equipment, digital scoreboards, and playing mats through equipment sponsorship.

Sponsoring basic infrastructure for sportspersons is another option. They can improve dormitories, changing rooms, facilities for physiotherapy facilities through this sponsorship. Operation Kalari also lays thrust on creating facilities for female sportspersons and the differently abled.

A State-level committee chaired by the Sports Secretary has been formed for convergence under the scheme. The Sports Kerala Foundation is Operation Kalari’s official project management agency. A dashboard is being prepared to ensure transparency in the scheme. Through the dashboard, a list of assets for sponsorship, sponsors, progress of work, photos before and after renovation can be viewed by the public. In the first phase, the project will be implemented in select 25-50 assets across the State. After a review in six months, the project will be scaled up for implementation across the State.