Mega sports calendar to engage over 40 lakh youth across J&K
JAMMU, JANUARY 16:The Department of Youth Services & Sports (DYSS) Friday presented a comprehensive and ambitious roadmap for youth engagement before Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, outlining a year-long calendar of sports, fitness, cultural and youth-centric activities aimed at fostering holistic development, social participation and sporting excellence across the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
The high-level meeting, as per an official statement, was attended by Principal Secretary, Culture, Brij Mohan Sharma; Commissioner Secretary, Youth Services & Sports, YashaMudgal; Director General, YS&S; Secretary, J&K Sports Council; representatives of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India; School Education and Higher Education Departments, besides other concerned officers.
Emphasizing effective execution, the Chief Secretary directed the Department to ensure time-bound and outcome-oriented implementation of the activity calendars framed by the Directorate of Youth Services & Sports and the J&K Sports Council. He underscored the need to focus on measurable physical and sporting achievements and called for hosting national and international sporting events across disciplines to create visibility, enthusiasm and momentum among the youth. He also stressed robust information and awareness campaigns before and during events to maximize outreach and participation.
The Chief Secretary further advised the Department to optimally leverage funds available under SASCI, Ministry of Sports schemes and Capex allocations to upgrade sports infrastructure to modern standards. He emphasized that both infrastructure and events must meet high-quality benchmarks to nurture elite sportspersons. He also directed that sporting and recreational activities be evenly distributed across all districts to ensure equal opportunities for aspiring youth.
Highlighting digital empowerment, the Chief Secretary underscored the need for an online benchmarking and athlete-tracking platform. He directed the Department to scale registrations on the My BHARAT portal from the current 5.5 lakh to at least 20 lakh, while ensuring continuous creation of events on both the My BHARAT and Fit India portals. He emphasized automated alerts to registered youth for wider participation.
The Chief Secretary also stressed integrating cultural activities as a core societal component alongside sports. He called upon the Culture Department to frame a year-round calendar of high-impact UT-level events, complemented by regular district and school-level programmes, to provide platforms for youth to showcase talent in performing and creative arts. He further advised hosting national-level competitions across art forms to recognize and nurture creative excellence.
Principal Secretary, Culture, Brij Mohan Sharma informed the meeting that the Department is developing an inclusive and impact-driven roadmap in line with the Chief Secretary’s vision, ensuring outreach across the length and breadth of the Union Territory.
Commissioner Secretary, Youth Services & Sports, YashaMudgal apprised the meeting of reinvigorated sports and activity-based calendars prepared by the Directorate of Sports and the J&K Sports Council, aimed at large-scale youth engagement across schools and panchayats. She highlighted the Department’s proactive engagement with national and international sports bodies to host major events in J&K, supported by ongoing and proposed infrastructure upgrades. She also emphasized the need for additional trainers, coaches and allied human resources to strengthen service delivery across districts.
Director General, Youth Services & Sports, Anuradha Gupta detailed the Directorate’s institutionalized five-tier tournament framework, beginning with intramural school-level competitions and culminating in national and international representation. This pyramid structure ensures mass participation, systematic talent identification and progression. Annually, over 15.39 lakh students participate at the intramural level, followed by 4.40 lakh at inter-school zonal level, 0.93 lakh at inter-zone district level, 0.18 lakh at provincial/UT championships and around 2,500 athletes representing J&K at the National School Games.
The presentation highlighted a strong upward trajectory in youth participation, with over 36.45 lakh participants engaged during 2025–26 (till December 2025) across sports and non-sports activities. Between April and December 2025, major sports events across disciplines engaged 20.55 lakh youth, while non-sports and social initiatives such as plantation drives, Nasha Mukt Bharat, International Yoga Day and National Unity Day engaged 15.89 lakh participants.
DYSS informed that J&K athletes have achieved notable success nationally and internationally. At the 69th National School Games, J&K emerged as Overall National Champions in Taekwondo with 11 Gold, 9 Silver and 18 Bronze medals, besides a Bronze in Football. Internationally, Nasir Ejaz Sufi of Baramulla contributed to India’s Bronze medal win at the ISF World School Games in China. Achievements of AarbeenaAltaf, J&K’s first-ever Taekwondo Gold medalist, and Sheetal Devi of Kishtwar, the youngest Indian Paralympian medalist at Paris 2024, were highlighted as inspirational milestones.
Beyond competitive sports, DYSS showcased initiatives promoting creativity, innovation and civic engagement. Open Mic programmes across districts culminated in the mega cultural event “Dastaan-e-Mic”, while digital outreach was strengthened through the inspirational podcast “Khel Khel Mein”. Volunteerism has been reinforced through the My BHARAT portal and J&K Bharat Scouts & Guides, with over 5.5 lakh registered volunteers and 15,189 Scouts & Guides actively engaged in sports, youth festivals and social campaigns.
A key pillar of the roadmap is the creation of a comprehensive digital athlete ecosystem, targeting over 20 lakh player registrations. The proposed system will feature unique Sports IDs, performance dashboards, DigiLocker-linked certificates, Aadhaar-based authentication and real-time tracking of athlete progression from grassroots to elite levels.
Strategic collaborations with institutions such as Dani Foundation and CSC-SPV were highlighted, alongside emphasis on coach education, sports science and capacity building under the Human Resource Development in Sports Scheme. DYSS also proposed establishing a world-class Sports Science and Injury Centre in J&K with support from the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports.
Secretary, J&K Sports Council, Nuzhat Gul presented a result-oriented roadmap, revealing that against a target of 37.50 lakh youth engagement for 2025–26, the Sports Council has already engaged 29.75 lakh youth till December 2025. With an additional 8 lakh youth expected between January and March 2026, total engagement is projected at 37.75 lakh, surpassing the annual target.
She detailed a series of flagship leagues and events scheduled for January–March 2026, including Jammu Cyclothon, Football and Cricket Premier Cups, South Kashmir Volleyball League, Snow Festivals at major winter destinations and the 6th Edition of Khelo India Winter Games 2026 at Gulmarg and Srinagar in February, featuring participation from 31 States and UTs.
During the January–March 2026 quarter, the Sports Council will conduct 364 activities, including one national event, 20 UT-level championships, five major leagues and 338 community-based programmes, engaging around 8 lakh youth across 50 disciplines.
The Chief Secretary appreciated the comprehensive, data-driven and inclusive approach adopted by the Department and reiterated the need for sustained engagement, transparency and outcome-based implementation. The presentation reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to nurturing talent, promoting fitness, strengthening social cohesion and empowering youth as key stakeholders in the Union Territory’s development journey.
