Patna: The Bihar government will provide sports scholarships to 630 athletes under its state sports scholarship policy for the 2026–27 session, officials said.
According to the Bihar State Sports Authority, the selected players will be covered under three schemes — Utkarsh, Saksham and Prerna — and will be awarded certificates by the Chief Minister at a program to be held at the Patliputra Sports Complex.
Director General of the authority, Ravindran Shankaran, said that out of the total beneficiaries, 19 athletes have been selected under the Utkarsh Scholarship Scheme, 178 under the Saksham Scheme, and 433 under the Prerna Scheme. Additionally, 269 athletes have been selected under the Mashaal programme.
He said the scholarship aims to support athletes in meeting expenses related to training equipment, sports kits, nutrition and coaching fees. “The selected athletes will be invited to Patliputra Sports Complex on a designated date, where they will receive certificates from the Chief Minister,” he added.
Financial assistance under the schemes varies based on category. Athletes selected under the Prerna scheme will receive scholarships of up to Rs 3 lakh, while those under the Saksham scheme will get up to Rs 5 lakh. Under the Udaan scheme, players can receive scholarships of up to Rs 20 lakh.
Officials said applications for the schemes were invited in January, and the final list was prepared after a detailed scrutiny process.
Last year, a total of 236 athletes had received scholarships under the Saksham and Udaan schemes.
The initiative is aimed at strengthening sports infrastructure and supporting emerging talent in Bihar by providing financial backing to promising athletes.
