Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday, 2 July 2026, chaired a review meeting of the Sports and Youth Welfare Department at the state secretariat, directing officials to complete out-of-turn government job placements for national-level medal-winning athletes within a fixed deadline and to expedite the drafting of a new state sports policy aligned with the National Sports Policy-2025.

Context

At the secretariat meeting, CM Dhami issued a series of directives covering athlete welfare, infrastructure and institutional development. He instructed officials to finalise the process for accommodating national-level podium finishers in government service on an out-of-turn basis — a measure designed to provide financial security to elite athletes and incentivise competitive performance among Uttarakhand's youth.

The Chief Minister also called for the state's new sports policy to be prepared 'soon' in line with the central National Sports Policy-2025, which provides the overarching framework for talent development, infrastructure investment and sports governance across India. Sports Minister Rekha Arya was present at the meeting.

Policy Backdrop

India's push to align state-level sports governance with central frameworks has accelerated since the launch of the Khelo India programme in 2017, which seeded grassroots infrastructure and athlete support systems nationwide. The National Sports Policy-2025 represents an updated framework that states are now expected to mirror in their own legislation and spending plans.

Uttarakhand's approach — combining out-of-turn job guarantees for medal winners, block-level mini-stadium construction and a dedicated sports university — follows a pattern visible across several BJP-governed states that have sought to institutionalise athlete support beyond one-off event spending. The 'Ek Zila, Ek Khel' (One District, One Sport) campaign, which assigns a focus discipline to each district for targeted development, forms part of this grassroots-to-elite pipeline.

Key Directives and Infrastructure Push

CM Dhami directed officials to accelerate appointments at the Sports University in Haldwani so that its academic session can begin by August. The university is intended to provide structured education and training pathways for athletes within the state. He also asked for construction of mini-stadiums at the block level to be speeded up, bringing sports facilities closer to rural youth.

On National Games infrastructure, the Chief Minister emphasised better upkeep of sports facilities developed during the 38th National Games hosted by Uttarakhand, and directed officials to begin preparations for the 39th National Games. He also stressed the need for special training programmes for athletes and effective implementation of the 'One District, One Sport' initiative across all districts.

Stakeholders and Impact

The directives directly benefit national-level medal winners from Uttarakhand who are currently awaiting government employment, offering them a structured and time-bound path to job security. Block-level stadium construction and the Haldwani sports university are expected to widen access to quality training for youth in hilly and remote districts where infrastructure has historically been sparse.

District sports bodies, school-level coaches and the broader youth population across Uttarakhand's 13 districts stand to gain from the converging investments in grassroots facilities, institutional capacity and policy alignment.

What's Next

The immediate milestones to watch are the cabinet approval of Uttarakhand's new sports policy, the commencement of the Haldwani Sports University academic session, and measurable progress on mini-stadium construction at the block level. Officials have been given defined timelines, making these deliverables trackable benchmarks for the state's sports governance agenda heading into the second half of 2026.