Commissioner Secretary, Youth Services & Sports, Yasha Mudgal today chaired an extensive review meeting of the Directorate of Youth Services & Sports (YSS) to assess departmental performance, youth engagement strategies, and future initiatives aimed at strengthening sports and extracurricular activities across Jammu & Kashmir.

During the review, the Commissioner Secretary took stock of ongoing departmental activities and directed the Director General (DG), YSS to ensure year-round sports activities across all schools in the Union Territory.

Emphasizing the need for data-driven planning, she instructed for preparation of comprehensive format to capture the number of students enrolled in each sport, in all Government and Private Schools, facilitating gap analysis and targeted interventions.

In a bid to enhance youth engagement, the DG YSS was further directed to assess the participation ratio of youth in sports relative to the population of the youth in UT of J&K and compare the same with the national average. She emphasized the importance of analysing the youth engagement in the States with high girl child enrolment in sports and adopting their best practices to ensure gender-inclusive growth in the sports sector.

Reviewing the current Scholarship scheme of Department, the Commissioner Secretary asked the DG to submit a comprehensive proposal for enhancing scholarships for players and medal winners, in order to recognize and encourage young talent. She also called for the identification of encumbrance free lands, especially within the schools that can be developed into zonal mini-stadia to expand local sports infrastructure.

In a step towards identifying talent, the DG was also directed to organize talent hunts across the UT to discover and nurture grassroots athletes.

The Commissioner Secretary also asked the department to conceive a proposal for establishment of Youth Culture Centre to integrate extracurricular activities, including performing arts.

While discussing HR issues, DG YSS was impressed upon to ensure updation of the Seniority lists and timely conduct of the DPCs. Regarding service matters, the DG YSS was instructed to expedite the disposal of SRO-43, RAS and RDA cases on priority, ensuring timely redressal and compliance with service guidelines.

Focusing on tourism promotion through sports, the Commissioner Secretary asked the department to explore Bhaderwah as a winter sports destination especially in the discipline of Skiing.

During the meeting the DG presented a detailed PowerPoint Presentation regarding the functioning of Directorate of Youth Services and Sports.

The meeting was attended by Director General YSS, Special Secretary YSS, Director Finance YSS, Joint Director YSS , Jammu , Additional Secretary YSS, Deputy Director Central , Deputy Director planning and other officers from the department.