The state of Bihar, which is currently hosting the Men’s Hockey Asia Cup is not traditionally known as a sports hub. But since the past three years, the Bihar State Sports Association, in tandem with the State government, has been determined to change that identity. With a significant increase in sports budget – from ₹30 crore to ₹680 crore – BSSA is taking on one of the most ambitious sports revivals in the country.
In an exclusive conversation with RevSportz, BSSA Director General I.P.S Raveendran Sankaran laid out the State’s new bold blueprint and gave an insight into the programmes and policies implemented and the impact they have had so far.
Three years ago, a mandate by the Chief Minister started the efforts to revive the sports legacy of the state.
“We have been working hard to implement this. One part of this effort was hosting national and international competitions.” said Sankaran “Hosting tournament is one part,”
The state has hosted multiple tournaments in quick succession, including Khelo India Youth Games, last year’s Asian Women’s Hockey Champions Trophy, the Asian Rugby Championship, and now the Men’s Hockey Asia Cup.
“The second is developing sports infrastructure, from the grassroots level to the state high-performance centers. That too is underway.” added the DG
Sankaran explained how the philosophy of the revival rests on three basic principles: “Talent scouting, talent nurturing, and talent retention.”
For the talent scouting effort, a program called Mashaal was conducted across 35,000 middle schools in Bihar for children between 12 to 14 years of age. Where almost 50 lakh children were scouted, their metric database collected (height, stamina, endurance, explosive strength, wingspan, and more) to help direct the children towards what sport suits them the most.
“Next comes talent nurturing. We have revamped and revived the Eklavvya Residential Sports Schools for both boys and girls across various disciplines. We also set up our own sports academy in Rajgir, catering to 14–15 sports.” asserted Sankaran
For their third principle – talent retention – the Government of Bihar has introduced a scheme called Medal Lao, Naukri Pao (bring a medal and get a government job). Athletes who have won medals at recognised national championships and international events are qualified for the scheme.
“Earlier, there was a long bureaucratic process. It used to take three to four years on average for an athlete to get a job. We launched a portal where athletes can upload their medal certificates. The software automatically verifies the achievement and places them in the appropriate grade, as defined in the policy. Within three months, they receive their appointment. So, we’ve reduced the waiting period from four years to three months. The key differences are speed and transparency.” said Sankaran.
So far, 77 athletes have received jobs under this policy, including 17 who were appointed as sub-inspectors of police, a few in civil services, while others joined different departments such as rural development and agriculture.
There are also three additional sports scholarship policies: Prerna, Saksham and Udaan.
Prerna (grassroots-level): Scholarship up to ₹3 lakhs per year for equipment, training, diet, and other needs.
Saksham (medalists at the national level): Scholarship up to ₹5 lakhs per year.
Udaan (international athletes): Scholarship of ₹20 lakhs to fund training abroad or to meet other expenses.
Bihar’s sports budget too has seen a humungous jump. “When I joined in 2022, the budget was only ₹30 crores. Today, it has increased to ₹680 crores. The majority of this will go into sports infrastructure. We are building indoor sports complexes across the nine commissionerates of Bihar and planning a 100-acre sports city, with the location soon to be finalised.
The rest will be invested in the Eklavvya Residential Sports Schools, athlete training, equipment, and sending players outside Bihar or even abroad for training. When teams participate in national championships, we ensure they have the best equipment, travel comfortably (third AC, or by air if needed), and receive proper support. Athlete welfare is our top priority.
The second major focus is coach development programs, ensuring that athletes receive the best guidance.” Concluded Sankaran.
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