BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh has unveiled one of India's most ambitious state-level sports infrastructure plans, with the cabinet on Tuesday approving Rs 962.50 crore to provide a multipurpose sports complex to each one of the state's 230 assembly constituencies.
Chaired by Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav, the cabinet gave in-principal approval for 140 brand-new complexes and the upgrade of existing or incomplete stadiums in the remaining 90 constituencies. To be christened "Chief Minister Sports Complexes," each new facility will come up on 10 acres at a cost of Rs 7 crore, with construction spread over five years, cabinet minister Chetanya Kashyap announced after the meeting.
Each complex will offer training and coaching in 10-12 indoor and outdoor sports, backed by dedicated staff — effectively creating a statewide network of grassroots sporting "nurseries" aimed at unearthing talent from even the smallest towns.
A stadium with a second life
What sets the scheme apart is an unusual dual mandate: every complex will house a helipad at its centre, designed to double up as a launch pad for the state's PM Shri Air Ambulance Service. The idea, officials say, is to fuse sporting infrastructure with emergency healthcare access — allowing critically ill patients from remote villages to be airlifted swiftly to advanced hospitals.
"The sports complexes will serve a dual purpose — promoting sports, and providing the launch pad required for air ambulances to airlift critical patients from even the remotest villages to the most advanced healthcare centres in the country," Kashyap said.
From manifesto promise to mega-project
The scheme marks a significant expansion of the BJP's 2023 assembly election pledge of "One District, One Sports Complex." Rather than limiting the promise to MP's 55 districts, the Yadav government has scaled it up to cover all 230 assembly segments — a far more sweeping commitment.
The groundwork was laid earlier this year: the plan was first visioned during the 2025-26 budget session, and the 2026-27 Three-Year Rolling Budget, tabled in February, had already earmarked Rs 161 crore for ongoing stadium works. Tuesday's cabinet nod now formalises the larger financial outlay under the state's sports and youth welfare department.
With work expected to begin soon, the project positions Madhya Pradesh to build what could become India's most extensive constituency-level sporting network — one that officials hope will nurture Olympic-calibre athletes while quietly reshaping rural emergency healthcare access along the way.
