New Delhi: In a major revamp of the Khelo India Scheme, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday approved a combined outlay of ₹ 36,441 crore for a five-year period beginning in the current financial year.
The move to expand Khelo India and enhance assistance to National Sports Federations is designed to create a “seamless pathway” for young talents from the grassroots level to global sporting success. With India set to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad and aiming to host the 2036 Olympics, the government is looking to significantly boost resources at every level to enhance India’s medal prospects at major international competitions.
“Our government is fully committed to promoting the sports culture in the country. In line with this, the government approved the expansion of the Khelo India scheme and increased assistance to national sports federations. This will provide young athletes across the country with better training, modern facilities, and more opportunities to hone their talents,” said PM Modi is a post on X.
The government said that a “comprehensive athlete development pathway” has been created to support young sportspersons at every stage, right from talent identification to providing scientific training and preparing them for international competitions and major events like the Olympics.
“This is the country’s most ambitious sports development programme since Independence. The aspirations of the youth of the country towards sports have been given a major boost and will have a transformational impact over the coming decade,” according to a government statement on Friday.
The ambitious project would require investments in enhancing existing training facilities as well as developing new centres to accommodate young talent.
Currently, around 3,000 Khelo India Athletes (KIA) receive training under various SAI schemes. Budding athletes currently receive ₹ 6.28 lakh per annum per athlete under various SAI schemes which includes an out-of-pocket allowance of ₹10,000 per month for each KIA besides support for training, equipment, diet and education. That figure is going to increase tenfold. It means 30,000 athletes from the grassroots will be inducted under Khelo India over the next five years. A new layer of Emerging Khelo India Athletes will be added below the KIA to identify and support talent at an even younger age.
It will help expand the base at the grassroots and guide young athletes under professional coaching, scientific support and long-term mentoring through a structured athlete development ecosystem.
The scheme establishes an integrated nationwide sports ecosystem comprising National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs), Khelo India Centres of Excellence and academies, SAI Training Centres (STCs), and Youth Sports Companies (YSCs) of the Armed Forces. “Together, these institutions will provide world-class coaching, sports science support and modern infrastructure across the country,” said the statement.
The government said it will “deepen collaboration with private academies, corporate partners and other institutions to leverage investment, innovation and expertise in sports infrastructure, talent development and athlete support.”
To strengthen sports in schools, the government has introduced two new initiatives—Khelo India Feeder Schools (KIFS) and Khelo India Utkrishta Vidyalayas (KIUV)—which will integrate sports with mainstream education and help early identification of talent and systematic nurturing.
It has been learnt that, for the execution of the project on the ground, the Sports Ministry would look to enhance its administrative setup.
A talent identification framework will be developed that will include Development Committees, Zonal Committees, talent scouts, high-performance directors and high-performance managers. A National Coach Accreditation Board (NCAB) will be established to produce quality coaches and strengthen the capacity of coaches and support staff across the country.
National Sports Federations will now get ₹ 20 crore—an increase from the current ₹ 2 crore—to host international competitions, provided there is participation from at least 12 nations, it is learnt.
A unified digital sports platform integrating athlete databases, infrastructure, competitions and coaching resources will also be developed.
