CHENNAI: In a major boost to sporting ecosystem of the country, the Union Cabinet has expanded the Khelo India Scheme and enhanced assistance to National Sports Federations. The centre has approved a combined outlay of Rs 35,441 crore from 2026-27 to 2030-31.
According to a PIB statement, “the approved outlay is nearly eight times that of the previous Khelo India Scheme, reflecting the Government's commitment to making sports a cornerstone of youth development, nation-building and India's emergence as a global sporting powerhouse”.
The scheme, according to the ministry, is aligned with the vision of Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 and the National Education Policy 2020 and it would aim to integrate sports with education, fitness, technology and high-performance training while laying a strong foundation for India's long-term sporting ambitions, including the 2030 Commonwealth Games and the country's bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The scheme would target to strengthen the school sports ecosystem through two new initiatives — Khelo India Feeder Schools (KIFS) and Khelo India Utkrishta Vidyalayas (KIUV) — which, according to the statement, will integrate sports with mainstream education and enable early identification and systematic nurturing of talented children. This in the long run would help expand the athletes’ pool.
The government has allocated Rs 29,054 crore to the Khelo India Scheme while the NSFs will get Rs 7387 crore over the next five years. This year’s budgetary allocation for assistance to NSFs is Rs 425 crore and if the current denomination is distributed then each year would convert into about Rs 1400 crore. Assistance to NSFs usually is spent on elite athletes that include their training, exposure and competing in national and international competitions. Since India are hosting the Commonwealth Games and are bidding for the Olympics, this would help in taking care of the needs of the athletes. Last time there was a major jump in budgetary allocation was before the 2010 Commonwealth Games hosted in Delhi.
According to Sports Authority of India, the Khelo India programme has been introduced to revive the sports culture in India at the grass-root level by building a strong framework for all sports played in our country and establish India as a great sporting nation. And is run by various verticals of the SAI.
Khelo India has been one of the flagship programmes of the sports ministry that aims to cater to the needs of the grassroot athletes through infrastructure, equipment, training and other support. However, majority of the funds allocated for Khelo India has been utilised in developing infrastructure than in training. Over the last few years, the hosting of Khelo India also seemed ad hoc and lacked directions and have been hosted when most of the athletes have exams or during off season. The selection criteria too need to be changed.
“The scheme also establishes a clear progression pathway from grassroots competitions to Khelo India, and subsequently to the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), enabling deserving athletes to receive world-class training, international exposure and comprehensive support to compete for medals at the highest level,” says the statement. However, such mechanisms are already in place and all it needs is close monitoring and transparency.
The ministry says that to complement the revamped KIS, the government has approved a strengthened Assistance to National Sports Federations (ANSF) Scheme for the period 2026-31. The scheme will support Indian athletes and teams through funding for coaching, sports science, modern equipment, international exposure, coaching camps, engagement of foreign experts and participation in major international competitions.