RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Saturday said his government is working on five missions to promote sports and nurture 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 at Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Auditorium here on National Sports Day and the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, Sai said the government was committed to identifying sporting talent and providing athletes opportunities to compete at national and international levels.
He said the focus was not merely on organising competitions but on creating a comprehensive sports ecosystem covering talent identification, training, modern equipment, infrastructure and exposure to higher-level competitions.
The chief minister presented State Sports Awards to 126 outstanding athletes and coaches for 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26. 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.
Sai said the government was 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.
Highlighting the sporting potential of remote and tribal areas, Sai said the Bastar Olympics had been organised for the past two years to identify and encourage young talent. The first edition attracted 1.65 lakh participants, while participation increased to 3.91 lakh in the second year.
He said sports infrastructure was also being expanded, with sports complexes coming up in Kunkuri in Jashpur, Raigarh and Raipur. An archery academy is being constructed in Nava Raipur at a cost of around Rs 67 crore, while another academy is being developed at Pandrapat in Jashpur at a cost of around Rs 18 crore to nurture archery talent among the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) community Pahadi Korwa.
Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao, who also holds the Sports and Youth Welfare portfolio, said Chhattisgarh’s geographical diversity was conducive to various sporting disciplines and stressed the need to identify, nurture and provide adequate opportunities to talented youngsters.