https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Winds of Change in J&K: Youth Make a Beeline to Join Sports

‘My Youth, My Pride’ is an initiative of J&K Sports Council to wean youth away from unlawful activities. The idea is to engage them in sports so that they stay away from self-harming activities like drugs, etc. The Council has been successfully channelising the youth energy towards various sports, as is evident from the growing medals tally in national sporting events.
Indian Masterminds Stories

It is said sport has the power to change the world. And change is what Jammu & Kashmir Sports Council is endeavouring to bring about in society by introducing the local youth to sports activities,thereby channelising their energies towards positive pursuits. Through its initiative, ‘My Youth, My Pride’, the council is trying to create a better future for the youth by steering them clear from any anti-social activity.

To engage the rural youth especially in sports activities, the Council has already developed playfields in all levels – panchayat, block, district, border villages, tribal areas, etc. Lakhs of youth from these areas are now involved in sporting activities through this initiative. Indian Masterminds interacted with Ms. Nuzhat Gull, Secretary, J&K Sports Council, to know about this initiative in detail.

Ms. Nuzhat Gull, Secretary, J&K Sports Council (left)

MY YOUTH, MY PRIDE

That ‘My Youth My Pride’ is adding spark to the playfields of Jammu and Kashmir is visible from the medal tally.

Speaking to Indian Masterminds, Ms. Nuzhat Gull said, “My Youth My Pride is an initiative of Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council, wherein, we organise sports competitions to involve rural children from sensitive areas like border and tribals villages, etc. It was started to counter drugs and other anti-social activities because once a child engages in sports, he stays away from destructive and self-harming activities.”

The initiative that started in April has already achieved 7.5 lakh youth engagements till now. The target is to engage more than 35 lakhs youth directly or indirectly. “I am saying indirectly because we also include the spectators. Like, for instance, a cricket match is eleven vs eleven. But there is engagement of, and enthusiasm,in the whole area,”said Ms. Gull.

TARGET CHANGES

She further said that they are looking at a lot of changes this initiative would bring. “You can clearly see the visible numbers – before this initiative and after this initiative. Before this initiative, only few lakhs of youth engagement in sports were noticed in many years. But now, you can see such engagements in a month!”

The biggest change came from PMDP (Prime Minister Development Package yojana) as every district got an indoor stadium with this scheme,every panchayat got a sports ground with proper facilities. As of now, Jammu and Kashmir has 54 sports stadiums that are floodlit.

“With floodlights, children can play in the evening and at night also, and this saves them from many bad things. The good news is our medal tally is increasing. Be it hockey, gymnastic, water sports, fencing, volleyball, football, they all have such huge enrolment that we are facing shortage of coaches and are trying to bring in more. Now sports are crowd puller here and we are getting very positive response from all over the state,” Ms. Gull said.

WORKING WITH ARMY

The Council is working closely with the Indian Army to give a fillip to the initiative. Ms. Gull explained how: “We have told them to involve us in any sporting competition they want to organise, as we have registered associations and so we can help by providing our staff, like match referee, umpire, etc.At the same time, we have told them to do it on a regular basis, so that the youth can get quota through sports policy which will help them get jobs in future.”

Recently, a chess seminar was organised under ‘My Youth My Pride’ at an army auditorium for the youth of border areas under the guidance of army staff.

MEDAL TALLY

The second edition of National Winter Games was successfully held at the world-famous tourist destination of Kashmir – Gulmarg – where 1200 athletes from 27 states and union territories participated. J&K topped the medals tally with 72 gold, 90 silver and 145 bronze. It is the highest in the history of Jammu and Kashmir so far. This appropriately highlights the success of the J&K Sports Council in grooming local players for a better future.

The Council is now preparing to host the 3rd Khelo India National Winter Games in Gulmarg and national-level water sports competitions in Basohli.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
SEBI
SEBI Appoints 3 New Executive Directors: Amit Pradhan, Avneesh Pandey & Sanjay Purao Take Charge
Lateral_entry_resized
No Reservation in Lateral Govt Job Entries, Centre Tells Rajya Sabha Citing Single-Post Rule
DelhiPolice
Top-Level Shake-Up in Delhi Police: 3 IPS Officers Reassigned Amid Security Concerns; Chahal Named DG, Civil Defence
mp
MP’s ₹3 Lakh Crore Infrastructure Boom: 255 km Greenfield Highway, ₹5,500 Cr Tiger Corridor Among Key Road Projects
FINNOVATION 2025
SBI & IIT Guwahati Celebrate FINNOVATION 2025 Winners in Gurugram, Empowering Young Innovators to Solve Banking Challenges
nitish-kumar
Bihar: CM Nitish Kumar Inaugurates Rs 44 Crore Six-Lane Pull-Up Ramp in Patna, Aims to Ease Traffic Congestion- Know More
CM yogi
UP: CM Yogi Inaugurates Two New Kalyan Mandaps in Gorakhpur, Emphasizes Accessible Celebration Spaces- Full Details Inside
CISF
National Security at Risk: Centre Opposes Supreme Court Ruling Curtailing IPS Deputation in CAPFs, Says IPS Presence is Crucial
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr
Resisted Flawed Schemes, Transferred Thrice In Three Months, Found Solace In Writing
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-11 at 4.48
IAS SVR Srinivas on Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, Tough Calls, and the Real Power of IAS Officers | Video Interview
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-08 at 5.25
Dharavi Redevelopment: IAS Minds Turning 100-Year-Old Slum into a Modern City | Video Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IAS Minnu P M
“Lazy, Sleepy, Yet Determined”: Minnu P M’s Honest Take on Cracking UPSC
Minnu PM, once a clerk in Kerala Police, cleared UPSC with AIR 150 after five years of struggle. Her...
IPS Ashish Tiwari
From IIT and Investment Banking to Public Service, Meet IPS Ashish Tiwari 
Ashish Tiwari, IIT graduate and former investment banker, chose public service over global finance. As...
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-12 at 7.27
First Attempt IRS, Fourth Attempt IPS: The Relentless Pursuit of Jitendra Kumar Yadav Who Cracked UPSC 3 Times
IPS Yadav is originally from Chhattisgarh. He was first selected for the IRS through UPSC and later for...
Social Media
Masahiro Hara
From Go Board to Global Use, How QR Codes Changed the World: IRAS Officer Ananth Rupanagudi Spotlights Masahiro Hara’s Vision
IRAS officer Ananth Rupanagudi shared a video on Masahiro Hara, the inventor of QR codes, highlighting...
IFS Susanta Nanda Video
A Mother’s Duty: Tigress Watches Over Cubs Splashing in Waterhole — Heartwarming Video Shared By Retd. IFS Officer Susanta Nanda
A tender wildlife video shared by Retd. IFS officer Susanta Nanda shows a tigress keeping watch over...
Mohanmala
Kaziranga Mourns: Beloved Elephant Mohanmala Passes Away After Five Decades of Service
Kaziranga National Park mourns the loss of Mohanmala, a beloved elephant who served over 50 years as...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
SEBI
SEBI Appoints 3 New Executive Directors: Amit Pradhan, Avneesh Pandey & Sanjay Purao Take Charge
Lateral_entry_resized
No Reservation in Lateral Govt Job Entries, Centre Tells Rajya Sabha Citing Single-Post Rule
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-11 at 4.48
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-08 at 5.25
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT