Sports News and Updates

KIRTI Programme

• KIRTI (Khelo India Rising Talent Identification) programme is an initiative by the Union sports ministry to identify talent from every nook and corner of the country.
• The programme is aimed at athletes in the age-group between nine to 18 years (school-going age).
• It uses IT tools to identify talent and provide a common platform to showcase talent.

Khelo India Mission

• The Khelo India Scheme is the flagship Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports.
• The Khelo India Mission aims to infuse sports culture and achieve sporting excellence in the country.
• The mission has a "Talent Identification and Development" component to identify and develop athletes at the grassroots and elite levels.

Ellyse Perry's Achievement

• Ellyse Perry became the first bowler to take a six-for in the Women's Premier League (WPL).
• Her six for 15 in Royal Challengers Bangalore's seven-wicket win against Mumbai Indians is the best bowling figures in the history of the WPL.
• She is the first player (man or woman) to score a century and take a six-for in all three formats of the game.

Shooting and Badminton Championships

• Zhang Cuiping (China) won the P3 Mixed 25m pistol with a score of 248.8.
• Avani Lekhara secured the third position with a score of 227.0.
• Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won the French Open badminton doubles title for the second time.

ONGC Para Games

• Minister Hardeep S Puri inaugurated the 5th ONGC Para Games in Thyagaraj Stadium, New Delhi.
• The event featured a total of 371 athletes, with 249 ONGCians participating in various sporting disciplines.
• Athletes from various oil and gas public enterprises participated in disciplines such as athletics, badminton, table tennis, and wheelchair racing.

Khel Mahakumbh

• The third edition of the 'Khel Mahakumbh' will commence in Himachal Pradesh's Bilaspur district.
• Village and panchayat level teams will compete in five sports events — volleyball, kabaddi, cricket, basketball, and athletics.
• The tournament will be inaugurated jointly by Union Information cum Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur, India cricket team coach Rahul Dravid, and team captain Rohit Sharma.

Education Initiatives

• Union Minister of Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan launched various initiatives in School and Teacher Education.
• The initiatives include the launch of DIETS of Excellence, National Professional Standard for Teachers, National Mission for Mentoring, 52 Primers of NCERT, National Vidya Samiksha Kendra, and 200 TV Channels.
• These initiatives aim to create a seamless and futuristic learning landscape, promote learning in Indian languages, and realize the vision of NEP 2020.