Chief Minister Pema Khandu today disbursed cash awards worth Rs1.57 crore to 187
meritorious sportspersons and coaches from 14 sports disciplines on occasion of National
Sports Day celebrated here at the State Banquet Hall.
Rs. 4.14 crore incentives have been given to 771 meritorious sportspersons in the last
8 years since the state began to celebrate the National Sports Day.
Congratulating the awardees, Khandu urged them not to rest of their laurels but start
training focussing on all future tournaments and championships right from the zonal to
international levels.
The National Sports Day that commemorates the birth anniversary of ‘Hockey
Wizard’ Major Dhyan Chand, is being celebrated in the state since 2016 and has been a major
catalyst in boosting confidence and performance of state’s athletes.
“Celebrating the National Sports Day reminds us of our responsibilities towards the
growth of sports and welfare of the sportspersons. Giving away cash incentives every year on
this day has also encouraged our athletes to excel resulting in 1100 medals coming our way
that includes all level of tournaments,” Khandu observed.
Assuring government’s commitment towards extending best possible infrastructure
for athletes to train and hone their skills, the Chief Minister informed about the establishment
of 58 Khelo India Centers, 19 multipurpose indoor halls, one synthetic athletic track, 15000
capacity Golden Jubilee Outdoor Stadium at Yupia, 4 new national-level stadiums, state-of-
the-art DK Badminton Academy at Chimpu spanning over 20,700 square meters, 14 two-
court badminton halls and 10 Futsal grounds across the state, State Sports Academy in Miao
and a National Center for Sports Science Research, which is one out of six in India, at
Itanagar.
He informed that the state Sports Policy gives 5% reservation in recruitment in all
state government departments and 10% reservation in Police and Sports departments.
Referring to his recent meet with the World Rafting Federation members at Delhi,
Khandu said that if things go as planned Arunachal will host the 2027 International World
Rafting Championship.
“In any case, we will be hosting the 17 th National Rafting Championship in 2025,” he
revealed.
He urged the Sports department, the Arunachal Olympic Association and all its
affiliated associations and federations to cooperate with the state government in shaping and
executing its ambitious Arunachal Olympics Sports Mission to support high-potential athletes
in their quest to compete in the 2028 and 2032 Olympic Games.
“We have declared 2024-25 as ‘Year of Youth’, reaffirming our commitment to nurturing the potential and ensuring our youths have the opportunities, resources, and support to achieve their dreams and contribute to the states and nation’s progress,” Khandu said. He informed that the state government
is launching SEE Trinity (Skill Development, Entrepreneurship, Employment) to completely reorient the entire ecosystem, providing over 25,000 employment and self-employment opportunities in the next five years for youth, especially women.
The state will provide 100% scholarship for APST youths gaining admission into all
Undergraduate Courses in IITs and 75% scholarship for obtaining Commercial Pilot Licenses
for up to 10 aspiring youths every year. Similarly, 10 youths will be supported in obtaining
training and certification for merchant navy courses every year.
Under the popular Deen Dayal Upadhyay Swavlamban Yojana (DDUSY), Khandu
said that youths setting up sports ventures will also be supported from this year. Further, he
said that state will give special focus on divyangana athletes with an eye on Paralympics. He
also informed that the state has decided to conduct the Arunachal Olympic Games every 2
years starting this year.
