Bhubaneswar, 03/03/25: A review meeting of the Sports and Youth Services Department was held today at the Kalinga Stadium under the chairmanship of Sports Minister Shri Suryabanshi Suraj. The meeting focused on reviewing the master plan for the construction of block-level stadiums and for the development of grassroots sports ecosystem.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister Suraj stated that Rs 4,124 crore has been allocated for the construction of block-level stadiums across Odisha. The initiative aims to nurture sporting talent in every village and block, ensuring a strong foundation for the state’s sports ecosystem. Our primary focus is to enhance grassroots sports, nurture talent and provide quality training to the sportspersons, Minister Shri Suraj emphasized.
To promote grassroots-level sports, the CM Trophy competition has been introduced. International sporting events like the FIH Hockey Pro League have been successfully hosted at the Kalinga Stadium in recent times. Odisha’s athletes have also performed well in this year’s National Games and Odisha secured a position among the top 15 states in the country in National Games. Minister Shri Suraj said that Odisha’s sportspersons will continue to bring laurels by winning medals in national and international competitions.
In addition to infrastructural development, Minister Shri Suraj directed the department officials to expedite all the projects and ensure their timely execution.
Principal Secretary of Sports and Youth Services Department Shri Bhaskar Jyoti Sarma, Director Shri Dipankar Mohapatra, Additional Secretary Shri Bijay Kumar Swain and other senior officials were present in the meeting.
