Andhra Pradesh will soon increase its sports quota to 3%, State Minister Nara Lokesh announced on Saturday while addressing an interactive session with the Indian Women’s Cricket Team in Visakhapatnam.
Speaking at the “Breaking Boundaries with Nara Lokesh” event, the minister said the government is preparing a 10-year roadmap for sports development in the state. “Under Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s leadership, united Andhra Pradesh successfully hosted the Afro-Asian Games and built an international-standard Sports Village. In the same way, we will now work with a long-term vision to strengthen sports over the next decade,” he said.
Lokesh highlighted the success of the recently launched Yoga Andhra initiative, inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call, and stressed the need to promote sports from the grassroots level. He also urged parents to encourage daughters to pursue sports, saying a change in mindset was essential for true progress.
During the session, Lokesh praised the resilience of women cricketers, acknowledging their struggles in the face of limited support and coverage. “For years, women’s cricket was treated as secondary to men’s cricket. Yet you persevered and transformed the perception of Indian cricket through your outstanding performances,” he said.
Citing achievements such as the Asian Games gold medal (2022), the ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup (2025), and seven Asia Cup titles, the minister called them a testament to the “extraordinary strength and talent” of India’s women cricketers. He also commended the BCCI for ensuring pay parity in match fees, describing it as a “key step toward bridging gender gaps in sports.”
Announcing new state-level initiatives, Lokesh revealed that the government would expand the sports quota to 3%, opening more opportunities in education and employment for athletes. He added that Andhra Pradesh had already rolled out scholarships, annual coaching camps, hostel facilities, travel allowances, and competitions at district and state levels to support both mainstream and para-athletes.
Women cricketers present at the session also shared their recommendations. They suggested flexible academic curricula for student-athletes, stronger sporting ecosystems from inter-school to national levels, dedicated scholarships and kits for underprivileged players, and special talent-hunt camps in rural areas. They also proposed that sports be introduced as a subject in schools.
The landmark session was attended by former India captain Mithali Raj, current skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, RCB captain Smriti Mandhana, batter Jemimah Rodrigues, all-rounder Deepti Sharma, former cricketer M.S.K. Prasad, Andhra Cricket Association president Kesineni Chinni, secretary Sana Satish, and Visakhapatnam MP Muthukumilla Sribharat, among others.
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