Srinagar, May 20: Exhorting upon the officers to expedite implementation of the initiatives being undertaken in the sports sector, Minister for Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Transport, Youth Services & Sports, Satish Sharma, today said that this is imperative for upgrading the sports infrastructure enabling youth create a niche for themselves at national and international level.

The Minister was reviewing the works plan for the department of Youth Services & Sports under the Capex sector for the year 2025-26.

Commissioner Secretary Youth Services and Sports, Sarmand Hafiz, Director General Youth Services and Sports, Rajinder Singh Tara, Secretary JK Sports Council, Nuzhat Gul and other senior officers attended the meeting.

Commissioner Secretary, Youth Services & Sports, presented a detailed brief about the developmental and the sports activities to be undertaken.

The Minister emphasized the need to accelerate implementation of ongoing projects aimed at strengthening the sports infrastructure and promoting youth engagement across the region. He expressed concern over delays in certain schemes, instructing the officials to identify and address the bottlenecks hampering progress on any development initiative.

"The youth are at the core of our development strategy and sports play a vital role in their holistic growth. We are determined to ensure that all sports related initiatives are completed in a time bound and transparent manner," the Minister stated.

He reviewed the key projects including construction of new sports complexes, upgradation of playgrounds, talent identification programs and district level training camps. He called for improved coordination among the stakeholder departments and timely release of funds to ensure smooth execution of vital works.

The Minister also advocated for enhancement of wages for National Youth Corps (NYCs) volunteers, acknowledging their critical contribution towards promoting sports and youth development at the grassroots level. "NYCs are the backbone of our field level implementation. It is imperative that their services are recognized through better remuneration and support," he asserted.

The Minister further directed the department to conduct regular performance audits and field visits to monitor on ground impact. He assured all necessary support from the government to create an enabling ecosystem for sports and youth empowerment.

The meeting also discussed the directions and the budget announcements and called for devising a mechanism for early completion of these besides the recommendations being projected by the Legislators as well.

Apart from the budget review, the meeting also discussed the issue of Rehbar-e-Khel, hike in the honorarium of NYCs besides appointment of outstanding sports persons.

The meeting also discussed projects like Khel Gaon Youth Hostels, state of art cricket academies, major indoor sports, sports projects in the border, rural and tribal areas and the projects under peace and developmental initiatives as well.

The Minister emphasised that under peace and development initiatives and in view of the present scenario in the UT, sports activities should be undertaken on a holistic pattern by involving people and youth in particular. He said that the sports activities can lead to a reduction of the stress level thereby increasing the happiness index and overall health of the individuals.

Secretary, Sports Council, presented a detailed brief about the activities being undertaken by the Council besides the calendar of activities to be undertaken.