Punjab has rolled out an ambitious sports revival plan backed by a record ₹942-crore budget for 2025–26, with a focus on building grassroots infrastructure, nurturing talent, and reclaiming its past sporting dominance, said Harpreet Singh Sudan, IAS, Director – Sports, Government of Punjab.
Speaking at the PlayCom 2025: Business of Sports Summit in New Delhi on Saturday, Sudan said the State, which once topped national sports rankings, has introduced a three-pronged strategy built on active lifestyle, youth development, and restoring past glory.
“As a State, we cannot restrict sports to athletes alone — it must become a larger ecosystem where every individual participates to maintain an active lifestyle,” Sudan said.
Tackling drugs through youth development
Sudan acknowledged Punjab’s struggle with drug abuse, but also pushed back against the perception that the problem is unique to the State. “While we do not agree with the disproportionate focus placed on Punjab, it is a problem we acknowledge and are actively working to solve. Sports is the key we identified to address this challenge,” he said.
Community engagement
At the grassroots, the annual Kheda Vatan Punjab Diyan has become the State’s flagship mass participation programme. Featuring 37 disciplines, including para sports, it encourages citizens across age groups to engage in structured competitions.
Participation has surged from 1.5 lakh in 2022–23 to 5 lakh in 2024–25. The government has earmarked ₹97.3 crore for the initiative over three years, including cash awards. Sudan said the scheme is designed to create a sporting culture that blends financial incentives, community engagement, and pathways for talent identification.
Sports policy reforms
Punjab announced a new Sports Policy in 2023 that introduced a series of financial and structural reforms. The policy expanded athlete assistance, offering support ranging from ₹10,000 to ₹3 crore and, for the first time, providing “preparation money” even at the qualification stage of international events. It also instituted new cash awards and categories, including the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Lifetime Achievement Award, and created a dedicated cadre to recruit outstanding sportspersons into regular government jobs. On the infrastructure front, the policy outlined a pyramidal model, beginning with village-level playgrounds and progressing through nurseries, hostels, and district facilities to elite centres of excellence.
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Published on Sep 13, 2025
