Bhajanlal Sharma Highlights Youth’s Role As India’s Greatest National Asset
Bhajanlal Sharma emphasises youth’s role in India’s future.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Thursday described the country’s youth as its greatest asset, emphasising their role in achieving the vision of a developed India. Addressing the ‘MY Bharat – Khelo India Samvad’ programme through video conference from Subodh PG College in Jaipur, Sharma said confidence, patience, perseverance and hard work among young people would be crucial to the country’s progress.
The programme was held on National Sports Day, with Sharma paying tribute to hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand and recalling his contribution to Indian sport. He noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had emphasised the need to build a strong sporting culture to help India improve its performance at international competitions. Sharma also pointed to the revised Khelo India scheme, which has a reported Central Government outlay of Rs 36,000 crore, as an initiative that could provide further momentum to the country's sports ecosystem.
Sharma said around 65 per cent of India's population is below the age of 35, making youth participation important for economic and social development. He highlighted the MY Bharat digital platform as an avenue for young people to participate in skill development, leadership and civic activities. In Rajasthan, the state government has also launched the Suyog platform to connect young people with sports, employment, skill development and community engagement.
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The Chief Minister outlined several measures aimed at strengthening Rajasthan's sports infrastructure. The state has established 50 Khelo India centres, while Centres of Excellence for athletics, archery and boxing are being developed at Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Maharana Pratap Sports University is also being established in Jaipur at an estimated cost of Rs 101 crore. Sharma added that 186 athletes who had represented Rajasthan successfully at national and international levels had been appointed to government services, while financial assistance and incentives worth around Rs 52 crore had been provided to 3,540 athletes.
Rajasthan also hosted the Khelo India University Games in 2025, attracting around 7,000 athletes from 222 universities across seven cities. At the Khelo India Youth Games the same year, Rajasthan finished third nationally after securing 60 medals. Sharma congratulated Arundhati Choudhary and Yashveer Singh for their medal-winning performances at the Commonwealth Games. He also highlighted the Rajasthan Youth Policy-2026, the One District-One Sport initiative and the Rajasthan Target Olympic Podium Scheme aimed at supporting athletes.
On employment, Sharma said the state government had released a recruitment examination calendar and conducted 410 examinations without paper leaks, according to the figures presented by him. More than 189,000 appointments had been made, while recruitment for over 122,000 posts was underway. The monthly mess allowance for athletes in departmental academies has also been increased from Rs 2,600 to Rs 4,000. Sharma maintained that expanding opportunities in sports, education, skills, employment and leadership would remain central to the state's efforts to harness the potential of its young population.
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