Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday announced a 10-member Task Force to assess the challenges and feasibility of reviving Formula 1 and motorsports in India, with the aim of exploring a return to the country in 2028.
The Task Force will be chaired by NITI Aayog Programme Director and Adviser Yugal Kishore Joshi. Joint Secretary (Sports) Kunal will also be part of the committee.
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The panel will have representation from the departments of tourism and commerce, the Department of Revenue, the Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra governments, and India’s motorsport bodies and racing circuits.
Representatives from the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), Buddh International Circuit (BIC) and Madras International Circuit (MIC) will be included in the Task Force. FMSCI will also nominate a technical expert.
Mandaviya said the committee’s terms of reference include finding ways to ensure the sustainable growth of motorsports in India and preparing a coordinated roadmap for the revival of Formula 1.
“The Terms of reference of this committee are suggesting comprehensive ways for sustainable growth of motorsports in India, a holistic coordinated roadmap for revival of Formula One so that we can host a race in 2028,” Mandaviya said during a media interaction.
The Task Force will also carry out a detailed assessment of the challenges facing motorsports in India, including taxation-related issues, and identify policy interventions needed to address them.
It will assess the international, economic, tourism and investment benefits of hosting major motorsport events in India. The committee will also examine infrastructure and operational requirements and make recommendations for a comprehensive motorsports policy, including possible Public-Private Partnership models.
Apart from Joshi and Kunal, the Minister did not reveal the names of the other members.
The FMSCI representation will include its president or secretary general. The federation is currently headed by Arindam Ghosh as president, although its elections are scheduled to take place at its Annual General Meeting later this month.
India last hosted a Formula 1 race in 2013 at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida. The Indian Grand Prix was held at the circuit from 2011 to 2013 before being dropped from the calendar amid bureaucratic and taxation-related issues.
The new Task Force will now examine whether those challenges can be addressed and whether India can create the framework needed to bring Formula 1 back to the country in 2028.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
