The Central Government, through the Project Approval Board, has released a budget of Rs 15.57 crore to develop sports grounds. Under the scheme, sports grounds will be prepared in 532 PM SHRI composite schools across 61 UP districts. 

Of these, 391 schools will be included in the first phase and 141 in the second phase. Along with the sports grounds, open gyms and swings will also be installed in the schools.

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In this regard, State Project Director for Schools, Monika Rani, has sent a letter to the concerned BSAs (Basic Education Officers). The letter states that for the schools selected in the first phase, Rs 2.65 lakh will be spent per sports ground. Meanwhile, for schools included in the second phase, Rs 3.70 lakh will be spent on each sports ground. 

Under the scheme, schools have been selected from Agra, Aligarh, Ambedkarnagar, Amethi, Ayodhya, Baghpat, Ballia, Banda, Bareilly, Basti, Bahraich, Bhadohi, Bijnor, Chitrakoot, Deoria, Etah, Farrukhabad, Fatehpur, Firozabad, Gautambuddhanagar, Ghaziabad, Ghazipur, Gorakhpur, Hamirpur, Hapur, Hardoi, Hathras, Jalaun, Jaunpur, Jhansi, Kannauj, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur Nagar, Kaushambi, Kushinagar, Lakhimpur Kheri, Lalitpur, Lucknow, Maharajganj, Mahoba, Mainpuri, Mathura, Mau, Mirzapur, Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Pilibhit, Pratapgarh, Prayagraj, Raebareli, Rampur, Saharanpur, Sambhal, Shahjahanpur, Shamli, Siddharthnagar, Sitapur, Sonbhadra, Sultanpur, Unnao, and Varanasi. 

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The BSAs have been instructed to complete the work by March 15, 2026. The sports ground will be developed within the premises of the respective school; land will not be selected outside it. 

Level ground will be selected, taking into account long-term use, safety, and suitability for sports activities. If sufficient space is not available in a single area, a concrete badminton court and a sports area for an open gym and other activities can be developed at two separate locations within the school.