Patna, June 11: The Bihar government is pushing forward with a massive overhaul of its athletic ecosystem, detailing major progress on large-scale infrastructure projects, grassroots programs, and welfare incentives for regional players. Sports Minister Shreyasi Singh affirmed during a high-level review meeting at Vikas Bhawan on Thursday that the state is actively working to build a comprehensive framework integrating athletic talent with health, education, and direct employment opportunities.
A central pillar of this expansion is the ambitious Dumri Sports City Project, slated to be developed over roughly 100 acres with a sanctioned budget of ₹574 crore. Development Commissioner Mihir Kumar Singh stated that separate expert teams have recently studied successful sports infrastructure models in Ahmedabad and Odisha to adopt international best practices. To guarantee these high standards, the administration has directed that professional consultants be engaged before construction tenders are officially floated.
International-level facilities are also nearing completion in Rajgir, where the new International Stadium is on track to be finished by the end of December this year. Building Construction Department officials declared that the main pavilion stands complete, with work moving rapidly on the remaining spectator stands to reach a total capacity of 40,000 seats under a revised budget of ₹1,121 crore. Additionally, plans are underway to upgrade the 25-acre B.P. Sinha Physical Education College in Patna into a premium hub through a ₹114 crore public-private partnership.
The state is simultaneously shifting focus toward talent cultivation outside major cities by launching dedicated District Centres of Excellence. Facilities in Arwal, Madhepura, and Kishanganj are scheduled to begin residential training for Kabaddi, Badminton, and Taekwondo by mid-June, while Siwan, Munger, and Jamui will host football-focused centers. Senior sports officials asserted that all initial athletes and coaches have already been selected, while the administration has set a firm deadline to make all such centers across Bihar fully functional by late September.
In a significant move to boost athlete welfare, the meeting advanced discussions to expand Bihar’s “Medal Lao, Naukri Pao” scheme. The updated policy aims to offer prestigious Level-9 government jobs to players selected for the senior Indian Men’s and Women’s Cricket Teams by the BCCI, matching rewards currently reserved for Olympic medalists.
To anchor these initiatives at the school level, the Education and Sports Department maintained that over 4,800 Physical Education teachers have been successfully deployed across the state, alongside 17,000 teachers trained in yoga instruction. At the village level, rural development teams have already completed over 5,200 panchayat sports grounds, with directives issued to cover all remaining local blocks on a priority basis to ensure robust grassroots participation.
