New Delhi | Rajya Sabha nominated member P T Usha on Friday urged the government to launch a programme to promote domestic production of anti-doping kits, stressing the need to make the country a dope-free sporting nation.
Raising the issue in Zero Hour, she emphasised the need to promote indigenous production of anti-doping kits under the Make in India initiative.
She noted that this matter is important as it affects the integrity of athletes and the global image of our nation.
"India has emerged as a global sporting powerhouse. Our athletes are breaking barriers, winning international medals and inspiring millions. However, the menace of doping continues to threaten fair play, athlete health and our country's reputation on the world stage," Usha said.
At present, she pointed out that a significant portion of high-quality anti-doping testing kits and equipment are imported, resulting in high cost, delay in testing cycles and dependency on external agencies.
"This is where the Make in India mission can play a transformative role. By encouraging indigenous research, manufacturing and technology development for anti-doping kits, including sample collection devices, testing reagents and portable detection equipment, India can become self-reliant and even emerge as a global supplier of world-class anti-doping solutions," Usha said.
The RS member said such an initiative would reduce costs and speed up testing, besides increasing transparency and strengthening the deterrence mechanism across all levels of sport, from grassroots to elite.
Usha further said the indigenous kit production would also generate employment opportunities and promote innovation and scientific research in line with the vision of Atma Nirbhar Bharat.
To make India truly a dope-free nation, she stressed the need to adopt a holistic approach, to run an aggressive awareness campaign among young athletes, to strengthen monitoring at training centres, to conduct regular random testing, and to take strict action against violators.
However, Usha said the government must ensure that clean athletes receive full support and protection.
"Therefore, I urge the government to establish a national program for indigenous anti-doping kit development under Make in India," she said.
Usha also requested the government to support Indian scientific institutions and startups to innovate in doping detection technology.
The Centre should also strengthen NADA (National Anti-Doping Agency) and regional testing laboratories with modern equipment and manpower, she said, and urged the Centre to launch a nationwide movement to build a clean, transparent and dope free sporting culture.
"Protecting the purity of sports is not just a regulatory duty. It is a national responsibility," Usha said, and pressed for urgent and concrete steps in this direction.