Punjab Inaugurates 1,000 More Village Sports Grounds

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann inaugurated 1,000 additional village sports grounds, called Pendu Khed Maidan, at Shahpur village in Fatehgarh Sahib district on 11 November 2026. The total completed and operational facilities has reached 1,764, against a target of 3,100. Earlier phases opened 255 grounds on 4 May and 509 on 24 August 2026.

Facilities and village-level support

The project is part of the state’s Yudh Nashean Virudh (War Against Drugs) campaign, which aims to expand access to sports and encourage young people to take part. Grounds provide facilities for football, hockey, volleyball and cricket, alongside fenced areas, walking tracks with footlights, separate toilets, storage rooms, children’s play areas and high-mast lights. Selected grounds will also have six-lane, 400-metre running tracks.

Villages are to receive sports equipment, including goalposts, nets, balls and cricket kits. Football and volleyball coaches will provide free training. Gram Panchayats will oversee maintenance through committees that include the Sarpanch, Youth Club president, Junior Engineer and Panchayat Secretary, as well as a nominated woman member or sportsperson. The government has committed ₹1,500 crore to develop all 3,100 grounds.

Important Facts for Exams

• Track-lane distance: For a competitive running track, the prescribed length of the innermost lane is 400 metres, matching the distance specified for selected grounds’ tracks.
• Panchayat tier: A Gram Panchayat is the base tier of Panchayati Raj institutions, whose legal authority comes from the 73rd Constitutional Amendment of 1992.
• Panchayat secretary: Unlike elected Gram Panchayat representatives, its Secretary is appointed by the state government to oversee Panchayat activities.