Sports Min to lay base for NIMAS

Itanagar: Union Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs (Independent Charge) Jitendra Singh would lay the foundation of National Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (NIMAS) at Dirang in Arunachal’s West Kameng district soon.
Lok Sabha MP Takam Sanjoy who called on Singh, who is also minister of state for Defence on Monday informed that though the date was not finalized but Singh has confirmed to inaugurate one of the biggest projects of the border state, official sources said here on Tuesday. The required land at Dirang for the institute has been provided by the state government. NIMAS is expected to provide employment to hundreds of local indigenous mostly in the middle and lower level, sources said.
It would be a training institution for multifarious adventure activities relating to land, air and aqua to attract adventure enthusiasts, they said. “This Institute would be first National Institute of its kind where theoretical and practical training for activities relating to mountaineering, aero adventure and aqua adventure will be conducted,” sources disclosed.
Meanwhile, the minister would be convening a meeting of top BRO officials on Wednesday to discuss about the fate of hundred of labourers working under Project Vartak in Tawang and West Siang districts.
About 7000 casual labourers were retrenched recently in the wake of finance ministry’s decision to cut the budget down to 20 per cent.
Singh assured that the decision would be revoked at the earliest for the welfare of the labourers who mostly consisted of local indigenous. (PTI)