In a border district long underserved by sports infrastructure, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday, 18 October 2026, laid the foundation stone for a badminton court at the Mini Stadium in Banbasa, Champawat, inaugurated multiple other development works, rewarded local athletes with prizes, and distributed sports kits — a visit that also saw three Tata Yodha vehicles handed over to forest divisions under an NHPC CSR initiative.

Dhami posted on X, declaring: 'Khel yuvaon mein anushasan, aatmvishwas aur team bhavna viksit karne ke saath unhe sakaratmak disha mein aage badhne ki prerana dete hain' — 'Sports develop discipline, self-confidence and team spirit in youth, and inspire them to move forward in a positive direction.' He added that the state's resolve is to ensure Devbhoomi's youth participate in building a healthy, empowered and drug-free Uttarakhand.

Badminton Court and Infrastructure Push in Champawat

Banbasa is a small town in Champawat district, one of Uttarakhand's most geographically remote areas, sitting close to the Indo-Nepal border. The laying of a badminton court foundation at its mini stadium is part of a broader Uttarakhand government pattern of extending sports infrastructure to smaller towns — places where organised sporting facilities have historically been scarce. Players present at the event received prizes and sports kits from the Chief Minister, a gesture designed to signal state backing for grassroots talent.

NHPC's Three Tata Yodha Vehicles: CSR Meets Forest Administration

The event had a second, equally practical dimension. The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) — a central public-sector undertaking with a significant operational footprint across Uttarakhand's rivers — flagged off three Tata Yodha vehicles to local forest divisions under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme. Rugged terrain in border districts like Champawat demands reliable transport for forest staff, and PSU-funded vehicle handovers have become a recurring mechanism through which hydropower operators convert their local presence into community support. The flag-off converts infrastructure and CSR commitments into something forest rangers can actually drive.

Sport as a Shield Against Drug Abuse

Dhami's remarks at Banbasa carried an explicit social message: every young person in the state should engage with sports and stay away from the 'evil of addiction' (nashe jaisi buraaiyon se door rahe). Uttarakhand governments have consistently paired sports-infrastructure announcements with anti-drug messaging, especially in districts bordering Nepal, where smuggling routes intersect with youth vulnerability. The framing — sport as a substitute for substance abuse — is not rhetorical window-dressing; it reflects a documented state priority, with the Nasha Mukt Uttarakhand ('Drug-Free Uttarakhand') campaign running parallel to youth-welfare spending.

A badminton court in a border town may appear modest. But when a sitting Chief Minister shows up personally to lay the stone, reward players and flag off field vehicles all in one event, the political signal is clear: Champawat — once an administrative backwater — is being written back into the development map, one slab at a time.