From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Jun 15: Sports at the Doorsteps, is the new programme launched by Youth and Sports Affairs Minister G Janardhana Reddy, to identify sport talent and encourage sportpersons of rural areas.

Reddy, who is also handling Tourism and Infrastructure portfolios, launched the programme in Bangalore on Wednesday by flagging off a vehicle carrying coaches and equipment of various sports.

The vehicle will be carrying sport items of badminton, archery, tennis, football, volleyball, and other sport and two coaches would travel to villages and help in identifying rural talent in various sports.

Coaches would interact with youth organisations and sportpersons in rural areas and give them training for a few days in the field of their talent and handover them sport equipment.

To start with, the vehicle would travel to Mandya and identify rural talent in the district. Candidates who have excelled at the district level would be given training by state level coaches, said an official from the Sports and Youth Affairs Depatment.

Answering questions from reporters, Janardhana Reddy said leaders and the people involved in illegal mining in Bellary district will be known only after completion of the survey into illegal mining conducted by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) appointed by the Supreme Court.

The CEC has been conducting the survey of 99 mines in Bellary district following the direction of the Supreme Court. The survey was conducted to curb the alleged illegal mining.

Reddy said he was not involved in illegal mining in Bellary and other parts of the State or anywhere else in the country. ''We have mining activities in Andhra Pradesh. But everything is legal and legitimate,” he claimed.