Madhya Pradesh To Overhaul Sports Policy: Olympic, CWG, Asian Games Medallists To Become Gazetted Officers

Madhya Pradesh is preparing to introduce sweeping reforms in its sports policy, aiming to stem the exodus of top athletes and reward sporting excellence with dignity. State Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Vishwas Sarang, in an exclusive conversation with NDTV, confirmed that athletes who win medals at the Olympics, Asian Games, or Commonwealth Games will now be directly appointed as gazetted officers.

Sarang said the government had followed the existing provision of offering Class III and Class IV jobs to Vikram Awardees, but the criteria often constrained deserving athletes. "There are two or three parameters. If a Vikram Awardee is eligible for Class III, they receive only a Class III job. It would be wrong to say we are appointing them as peons," he clarified.

He added that hockey star Vivek Sagar Prasad was appointed as DSP as per a specific announcement made by the then Chief Minister. Other similar cases where special announcements were made are being processed for Class II gazetted posts. "But now we are bringing a comprehensive policy so that our athletes who win medals in the Olympics, Asian Games, or Commonwealth Games will be made gazetted officers. Before that, we will address cases already announced, and then take the new policy to the Cabinet soon," Sarang said.

The urgent need for policy reform became evident after ace shooter Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar, one of Madhya Pradesh's most celebrated athletes, publicly expressed disappointment over the state's unfulfilled promises. He even announced that he would no longer represent Madhya Pradesh.

The core grievance among athletes is Madhya Pradesh's outdated and restrictive rewards system, which currently extends government jobs only to Vikram Award-winning athletes, under the Madhya Pradesh Award Rules 2021. Many high-performing players who do not fall under this category are left without career security.

The state's sports policy has not seen a significant revision since 2005. The first sports policy came in 1989, was revised in 1994, and updated again in 2005 a framework that largely focuses on infrastructure, identifying talent, and promoting sports culture, but not on long-term athlete security.

Meanwhile, states like Haryana, Punjab, and Maharashtra offer assured government jobs for National Games medallists. Madhya Pradesh, in comparison, offers cash rewards of Rs 6 lakh for gold, Rs 4 lakh for silver, and Rs 3 lakh for bronze a provision introduced only this year.

This gap has led to a worrying trend, athletes leaving Madhya Pradesh to compete for other states. At the recent Uttarakhand National Games, the impact was stark. Madhya Pradesh fielded 331 athletes, 120 players originally from MP competed for other states 68 of them won medals. Despite strong performances, MP finished fourth, losing a significant medal haul to its competitors.

According to government data placed in the Assembly, the Sports and Youth Welfare Department has provided 37 government jobs to athletes since April 1, 2020. However, athletes and experts argue that without a broader, structured policy, the state continues to lose talent.