Chhattisgarh government has allocated Rs 100 crore for the Chief Minister Sports Excellence Mission
State to focus on identifying, training and nurturing sporting talent
Government aims to strengthen sports infrastructure, modern equipment and opportunities at national and international levels
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Saturday said his government has been working on five missions to promote sports and athletes in the state, including the Chief Minister Sports Excellence Mission for which a budgetary provision of Rs 100 crore has been made.
Addressing the State Sports Awards ceremony organised at Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Auditorium here on the occasion of National Sports Day and the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, Sai said the government is committed to identifying and nurturing sporting talent in the state and providing them opportunities to compete at national and international levels, an official statement said.
He said the government's objective was not merely to organise competitions but to develop a comprehensive system covering identification of talent, training, modern equipment, sports infrastructure and opportunities to compete on bigger platforms.
"This will help players from Chhattisgarh prepare better for national and international competitions," he said.
The state government has been working on five missions to promote sports and athletes in Chhattisgarh. These include the 'Mukhyamantri Khel Utkarsh Mission' (Chief Minister's Sports Excellence Mission) and a budget provision of Rs 100 crore has been made for this, he said.
On the occasion, Sai presented State Sports Awards to 126 outstanding athletes and coaches for 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26, the release said.
Cash incentives were also given to 540 other sportspersons. In all, 666 athletes and coaches received awards and cash prizes totalling Rs 1.74 crore, it said.
Sai said athletes' hard work, discipline and struggles on the field go beyond individual achievements as their success brings pride to the state and the country.
He said sportspersons from Chhattisgarh have been continuously making their mark at national and international events and the government's endeavour was to ensure that talented athletes do not fall behind due to lack of resources or opportunities.
The CM said the government has been also taking steps to secure the future of sportspersons.
He said a list of 156 outstanding athletes had recently been released, paving the way for their appointment to government service.
"This will strengthen confidence among the state's youth to pursue sports as a career," Sai said.
He said remote and tribal areas of Chhattisgarh had no shortage of sporting talent and the need is to identify such youngsters, provide them opportunities and ensure proper training.
He said the state had been organising the Bastar Olympics for the past two years for this purpose.
The first edition of the Bastar Olympics saw participation of 1.65 lakh youngsters, while the number rose to 3.91 lakh in the second year, Sai said.
He said modern sports infrastructure is being developed rapidly in the state, with sports complexes coming up in Kunkuri (Jashpur), Raigarh and Raipur.
An archery academy is also being constructed in Nava Raipur at a cost of around Rs 67 crore to provide world-class training facilities to archers, while another academy is being developed at Pandrapat (Jashpur) at a cost of around Rs 18 crore to nurture the natural archery talent of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) community Pahadi Korwa, he said.
Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao, who also holds Sports and Youth Welfare portfolio, said Chhattisgarh's geographical diversity is conducive to different sporting disciplines.
"There is no shortage of sporting talent in the state. The need is to identify, nurture and provide adequate opportunities to these talents," he said.
Sao said the state government, under the leadership of CM Sai, has been continuously working in this direction.
