Mandi’s Lalita Sharma first woman to be appointed as Deputy Director General in SAI

The Newz Radar
MANDI: Lalita Sharma, a resident of Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, has been promoted to the position of Deputy Director General at the Sports Authority of India (SAI). Earlier serving as the Executive Director overseeing operations in North India, she is the first woman officer from her cadre to achieve this position at a national-level organisation. Lalita Sharma is also the first woman in the state to hold such a high-ranking position in the sports department across India.
Hailing from Mandi town, Lalita Sharma completed her primary and secondary education at the local Government Girls School and graduated from Government Degree College, Mandi. She holds an MBA from Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla. She is a distinguished badminton player and earned recognition as the first ‘Sports Queen of Himachal Pradesh’ in 1985.
Commencing her career at the Sports Authority of India in 1989 as an Assistant Director at the SAI Training Centre, Bilaspur, she spent six years grooming international players and enhancing sports infrastructure. She then served as in-charge of the SAI Training Centre, Dharamshala, where she transformed the centre exclusively for female players from Himachal Pradesh.
During her tenure in Dharamshala, Lalita played a pivotal role in creating international-level facilities, including a cricket stadium, outdoor athletic stadium and multipurpose sports indoor stadium. Recognising her contributions, she received the ‘Khel Puruskar’ from the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh twice.
In 2000, Lalita Sharma was promoted to Deputy Director Administration at NIS. Her journey continued with significant roles in Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University, Palampur; IIT-Mandi and her parent department, eventually reaching the position of Regional Director in 2019 and Executive Director in 2021, where she continued to lead North India.
Her guidance and administrative skills contributed to North Indian players securing numerous medals in the Olympics and Asian Games. Recognising her organisational prowess and contributions to sports, Lalita has received the “Best Citizen of India” award and the “Rashtriya Vidya Samman Puraskar” from various national-level organisations. Lalita recently completed her PhD in Sports Management from CT University, Ludhiana. Her husband Harish Sharma is an engineer and active social worker.