From medals to govt jobs, Yogi Adityanath highlights UP's push for women athletes

Yogi Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh medal winners are being offered direct recruitment under the Padak Lao, Pad Pao scheme. He linked expanded sports infrastructure and cash rewards with greater support for women athletes.Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addresses a programme to honour sanitation workers in Varanasi on Thursday. (Photo: PTI)Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has highlighted the state government’s initiatives to promote women in sports, saying athletes who win medals at major competitions are being offered direct recruitment under the ‘Padak Lao, Pad Pao’ scheme.Extending Navratri greetings, Adityanath invoked Maa Katyayani as a symbol of courage, determination and valour. He said Uttar Pradesh had seen a transformation in sports infrastructure and opportunities since 2017, with greater support for athletes.In a post on X, the chief minister alleged that before 2017, women faced an atmosphere of fear and lawlessness, while inadequate opportunities restricted their sporting ambitions.He also claimed that sports grounds were under the influence of mafias and that young women lacked the support needed to pursue their goals. Adityanath said sports infrastructure had expanded over the past nine and a half years, from village playgrounds and block-level mini stadiums to district stadiums, divisional sports colleges and the Major Dhyan Chand Sports University in Meerut.He added that medal winners at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games were being given cash rewards worth lakhs and crores of rupees, along with direct recruitment opportunities under the ‘Padak Lao, Pad Pao’ initiative. The Chief Minister cited several women athletes from Uttar Pradesh who have made their mark at national and international competitions.They included athletes Parul Chaudhary, Priyanka Goswami, Prachi Chaudhary and Annu Rani; judoka Asmita Dey; cricketers Deepti Sharma and Meghna Singh; hockey player Vandana Kataria; and wrestler Divya Kakran.Adityanath said their achievements at the Commonwealth and Asian Games had brought recognition to Uttar Pradesh and India. He linked the state’s sports initiatives to women’s empowerment, saying improved infrastructure and institutional support were helping women pursue their sporting ambitions.- Ends