Jammu: Minister for Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Information Technology, Transport, Youth Services and Sports (YSS), Satish Sharma Friday participated in virtual meeting chaired by Union Minister for Youth Affairs to discuss issues related to youth engagement, sports development, and holistic empowerment.
The virtual meeting was also attended by Sports Ministers of other states and UTs.
Commissioner Secretary Youth Services and Sports, Yasha Mudgal; DG Youth Services and Sports, Anuradha Gupta and other senior officers YSS also attended the meeting.
During the interaction, Satish Sharma highlighted the significant transformation taking place in J&K, adding that sports has become a bridge from conflict to aspiration. He also briefed the Union Minister about the impact of the J&K Sports Policy (2022), which has laid emphasis on talent scouting, infrastructure development and creation of culture of health and fitness across the region.
The Minister underscored the role of flagship programmes like Khelo India and Ab Khelega Jammu & Kashmir, supported by UT Capex funding, which together are training and engaging thousands of young athletes annually.
Citing recent success stories, Minister Sharma drew attention to inspiring youth icons from J&K including Arjuna Awardee and para-archery champion, Sheetal Devi, who brought laurels at Paralympics, Asian Para Games, and World Championships; Chain Singh, Olympian shooter from Doda, who has represented India in several prestigious international events. He also talked about cricketing talents including Umran Malik, Abdul Samad, Rasik Salam, Vivrant Sharma , who have excelled in the IPL. He also mentioned about Nasir Sofi, a young volleyball player from Baramulla recently selected for the U-15 National Coaching Camp for China.
Speaking on youth engagement, the Minister informed that over 70 lakh youth participated in sports and related activities during 2024-25, with the figure expected to rise further this year. He emphasized the department’s role in channelling youth energy towards positive pursuits, thereby diverting them from anti-social and anti-national activities.
Satish Sharma also placed before the Union Minister several key suggestions for strengthening youth and sports initiatives in J&K, which include Special funding for Sports Research Centres and Academies, use of AI-powered technology for real-time performance tracking and monitoring of schemes, enhanced inter-departmental coordination and Public-Private Partnerships to create a robust youth-centric ecosystem, greater emphasis on sports science, psychology, and medicine to enhance athlete performance, besides positioning sports as a career pathway, creating employment opportunities, and encouraging startups in fitness, equipment manufacturing, and adventure tourism.
The Union Minister appreciated the initiatives taken by the Government of Jammu & Kashmir and assured continued support of the Centre in strengthening youth and sports programmes across Jammu and Kashmir
Satish Sharma reaffirmed the J&K Government’s commitment to promote holistic youth development, build world-class sports infrastructure, and bring national and international sporting events, making it a hub of sports excellence and youth empowerment.
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