MP Cabinet Clears Rs 962.50-Crore Plan for CM Sports Complexes in 140 Constituencies

Madhya Pradesh is set to expand its sports infrastructure to a new scale, with the state Cabinet granting in-principle approval to a Rs 962.50-crore budget for building and operating sports complexes across 140 Assembly constituencies.

The facilities will be known as Chief Minister Sports Complexes. In an unusual provision, each complex will have a permanent helipad built in the middle of its main ground to facilitate helicopter movement under the PM Shri scheme.

MSME Minister Chetanya Kashyap said the complexes are planned for every Assembly constituency in the state. Over the next five years, he said, facilities will come up at 140 new locations with an outlay of about Rs 960 crore, offering coaching, security and other essential services alongside indoor and outdoor games. The helipads, he added, will also allow air ambulances to land when needed.

The decision forms part of a broader effort to build a statewide sports pipeline, running from constituency-level facilities to specialised academies, and to use infrastructure as a means of identifying and training athletes at the grassroots.

The scale of the proposed expansion is notable. The 2026-27 budget set aside Rs 815 crore for sports and youth welfare, according to the state government's budget presentation. The government says the investment is intended to make sports facilities accessible beyond established sporting centres.

At present, the department runs 11 sports academies covering 18 disciplines, while four hockey turfs and 30 sports stadiums are under construction. Its infrastructure list includes specialised facilities for shooting, hockey, archery, equestrian sports, cricket and other disciplines.

The state's strategy has been taking shape for nearly two decades. The Sports and Youth Welfare Department traces its blueprint for making Madhya Pradesh a major sporting state to 2005, followed by the creation of specialised academies from 2007 to spot talent at the grassroots and provide residential training and competition opportunities.

The infrastructure push coincides with a growing network of specialised academies and recent success in national and international competitions. The department says it currently has more than 700 athletes, over 84 training centres and more than 90 coaches, with academies specialising in disciplines including shooting, hockey, athletics, archery, water sports, fencing and equestrian sports.

The state already has a sizeable footprint, with the sports department having constructed 126 indoor and outdoor sports facilities at 86 development-block headquarters, and another 24 stadiums under construction.