LADAKH PROMISES ₹1 LAKH A MONTH – STARTING THE DAY YOU WIN!
NO MORE STRUGGLE, ONLY GLORY: LG V.K.Saxena approves New Ladakh Sports Policy.
A new era of nurturing sporting excellence and creating a vibrant and inclusive sports ecosystem has ushered in the Union Territory of Ladakh, with Lt. Governor, Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena approving a landmark New Ladakh Sports Policy. For the first time, the new sports policy provides assured financial support in terms of cash incentives and monthly scholarships, recognition and constant motivation to sportspersons to excel at school, district, state, national and international levels.
The Sports Policy establishes a visionary framework designed to transform the Union Territory into a premier, self-sustaining sporting destination, while simultaneously encouraging youth to take up sports as a viable career option, as envisaged by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi through initiatives such as “Khelo India”.
Based on the guiding principles of “Scout, Facilitate and Recognise”, the policy has been finalised following threadbare discussions with all stakeholders for over two months, under the guidance and leadership of L-G Shri Saxena. In recent months, several sportspersons and their parents had met the Lieutenant Governor, apprising their inability to meet the expenses for further preparations and training due to financial constraints. Considering this requirement, the L-G, emphasising that “institutional financial support to sportspersons was critical for their career progression”, directed the UT Administration to formulate a comprehensive sports policy where medal winners start earning automatically.
The biggest highlight of the policy is the introduction of a comprehensive framework for financial support to outstanding sportspersons from Ladakh. Medal winners in recognised International, National and State-level competitions, including the National School Games and Khelo India Games, will receive monthly scholarships for 12 months, from the date of winning the medal. This scholarship would motivate and enable the sportspersons to compete for higher-level sporting events, without worrying about expenses on a nutritious diet or sports equipment.
Under this new framework, International Gold medallists will receive Rs one lakh per month, National Gold medallists Rs 75,000 per month, and state-level Gold medallists Rs 10,000 per month, with proportionate scholarships for Silver and Bronze medal winners too, in respective sporting events for a period of 12 months.
| Monthly Scholarship in INR (per person per month) for 12 months | |||
| Level | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| International | Rs. 1,00,000 | Rs. 80,000 | Rs.60,000 |
| National(including National Level School Games) | Rs.75,000 | Rs.50,000 | Rs.30,000 |
| UT Level(including UT Level School Games) | Rs.10,000 | Rs.7,000 | Rs.5,000 |
The policy ensures that as the beneficiary athletes progress to higher levels, their scholarship is correspondingly upgraded. For instance, a sportsperson receiving ₹10,000 per month for winning Gold at the state level will become eligible for a higher scholarship upon securing a medal at the National or International level. Medal Scholarships will be awarded for 12 months, from the very date of winning the medal itself. But if a sportsperson qualifies for a higher level, the scholarship will be automatically upgraded for a fresh one-year period, as per the higher scholarship slab from the month he/she qualifies during the ongoing scholarship period. In such a case, the scholarship already paid to the sportsperson at the lower slab will not be recovered.
The policy also provides one-time cash incentives from Rs 5 lakh to Rs one crore for medal winners at recognised International, National, State and School-level competitions. This cash incentive will be paid over and above the monthly scholarship.
The policy also introduces a one-time Rs 10 lakh cash award for mountaineering achievers from Ladakh who successfully summit peaks above 8,000 metres, anywhere in the world. Besides, the new policy also provides special cash awards for outstanding performances at Paralympic Games, Para Asian Games, Para Commonwealth Games, Para Championships, National Para Sports Championships, and events for visually impaired, hearing-impaired and Special Olympics athletes.
“The New Ladakh Sports Policy 2026 is a long-term commitment to our youth for a vibrant sporting culture and an institutional support system to excel in the field of sports. The policy not only seeks to identify talented athletes at the grassroots, but will also ensure that they receive sustained financial support, institutional backing and constant motivation to excel at every stage of their sporting career.
Every medal won by a sportsperson from Ladakh is a matter of pride for the entire nation. It is, therefore, the duty of the administration to support our talented youth, without the sportspersons and their families needing to worry about expenses. Through assured scholarships, cash incentives, modern infrastructure, scientific coaching and career opportunities, we are creating an ecosystem where talent is recognised, nurtured and rewarded without financial burden on families,” L-G Shri Saxena said.
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