IANS

New Delhi, Aug 26: Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal Tuesday launched the Physical Education Cards (PEC) India programme, an initiative that will combine physical education and sports to empower youngsters.

The programme focuses on physical education and sports to engage school children and local communities.

The project is being piloted by the British Council, in collaboration with UK Sport and Unicef in the run-up to the 2010 London Olympics and Paralympic Games. It will be taken up in physical education curriculum at the primary school stage.

The programme is being supported by Ministry of Human Resource Development and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

While launching the programme, Sibal emphasised the importance of sport in youngsters life.

"Sports plays a crucial role in the complete development of a child," he said.

The Central Board of Secondary Education and Youth Sport Trust are the technical partners of the project and have developed a classroom resource material - 'PEC India: Manual for Primary School Teachers' - for the implementation of the programme.

The British Council will run a pilot project in select schools in Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai in the next six months. Two rural pilot projects are also in pipeline in Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.