The sports goods suppliers of the country should register themselves on the GeM portal to facilitate the government sourcing of sports equipment.

The Sports Authority of India had included a lot of sports items on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) and invited suppliers and vendors to register on the portal so that government agencies could source their requirements online, said Onkar Kedia, Special Director General, SAI.

Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Government of India today launched the 'FICCI-Go Play' report on 'The Purposeful Corporate ' CSR & Sports' at 'TURF 2018 - 8th Global Sports Summit', International Convention on Business of Sports' organised by FICCI and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

Choubey said it was imperative for the country to adopt a constructive approach towards encouraging the youth in taking to sports in order to inculcate a sense of discipline and team spirit. He emphasised the crucial importance of physical education to create a healthier and fitter society.

FICCI said private sector investment in the development of sports in the country could receive a major fillip if policy level adjustments were undertaken to encourage CSR spending in sports.

Towards this end, specific sports-related expenditures could be offset against the 2% CSR regulation along with rationalisation of taxes, it said.