Raipur, June 30: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Tuesday finalised the selection of 156 outstanding athletes for direct recruitment into government services, clearing a long-pending backlog for the assessment years 2018-19 and 2019-20. Chairing a high-level review committee meeting at his official residence, the Chief Minister directed the General Administration Department (GAD) to immediately notify the verified list of sportspersons across 20 diverse athletic disciplines to formalize their administrative appointments.

The high-level panel, which included Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao and senior cabinet ministers, scrutinized thousands of pending profiles against stringent state athletic benchmarks before finalizing the names. The policy decision effectively ends a multi-year institutional delay for regional athletes awaiting structured sports-quota employment benefits.

Addressing senior bureaucrats, Chief Minister Sai emphasized that the deployment of these elite athletes across state departments must actively focus on infrastructure development, modern coaching, and grass-roots talent scouting. He observed that the extensive competitive experience of these decorated sports veterans should be systematically utilized to train and mentor upcoming generation of rural athletes.

Sai stated that the state government’s primary focus extends beyond ceremonial felicitation to building a highly responsive sports ecosystem. He maintained that the state is working to bridge the infrastructure gap between remote village panchayats and state-level academies by introducing advanced training modules, standardized nutrition programs, and continuous tournament exposure.

Reviewing ongoing infrastructure spending, the Chief Minister asserted that the administration is committed to the holistic expansion of state-run sports academies. He stated that the structural modernization of these centers will directly enable regional youth to compete successfully at national and international tournaments, bringing laurels to both Chhattisgarh and the country. Official data presented during the review session revealed that the state has already inducted 182 outstanding athletes into government ranks through previous recruitment cycles.

The high-level session was attended by Forest Minister Kedar Kashyap, Chief Secretary Vikas Sheel, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Subodh Kumar Singh, Secretary to the Chief Minister Rahul Bhagat, GAD Secretary Avinash Champawat, Sports and Youth Welfare Secretary Yashwant Kumar, and Director of Sports and Youth Welfare Tanuja Salam.