Why In News
The Union Cabinet has approved an expanded Khelo India Scheme and enhanced Assistance to National Sports Federations (ANSFs) with a combined outlay of ₹36,441 crore for 2026–27 to 2030–31.
Importance
- This is the biggest sports investment India has made since Independence and the outlay backs that up.
- Core aim is a single, continuous pathway: talent gets identified at the grassroots and carried step by step through to international competition, instead of falling through the gaps between stages, as often happened before.
- Alongside the elite-athlete focus, there's an equal push on youth fitness and widening sports participation generally not just for those already on a competitive track.
- Timing lines up with two major targets ahead - the 2030 Commonwealth Games and India's ongoing bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Key Highlights
- Combined Outlay: ₹36,441 crore for 2026-27 to 2030-31, nearly eight times the previous Khelo India allocation.
- Athlete Development Pathway: A structured, continuous track from talent identification all the way to Olympic-level preparation.
- New Initiatives: Khelo India Feeder Schools (KIFS) and Khelo India Utkrishta Vidyalayas (KIUV) have been introduced to integrate sports training with regular school education.
- Emerging Khelo India Athletes (E-KIAs): A new athlete category that widens access to the talent development pipeline.
- National Coach Accreditation Board (NCAB): Set up to standardise coaching qualifications, addressing what has so far been an inconsistent system across different sports.
- Enhanced ANSF Support: Financial assistance covering coaching, sports science, equipment, foreign experts, international exposure and participation in global competitions.
Static Facts
- The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is in charge of implementing this.
- The type of scheme is a Central Sector Scheme.
- Khelo India started in the year 2018.
- There is also the Target Olympic Podium Scheme which was launched in 2014 to help athletes who are getting ready for events.
- The Fit India Movement was launched in 2019 to get people to be more fit and have a lifestyle.
About Khelo India
- Khelo India is the flagship sports development programme of the Government of India.
- Its main goal is to find people who are good at sports at an age and then help them with coaches, good facilities and support for a long time.
- People can participate in Khelo India through their schools, colleges, sports schools and local competitions.
- The main focus is on making a system for sports that includes helping athletes get better training coaches using sports science and giving people chances to compete.
- Khelo India also works with the Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 and the National Education Policy 2020 which means sports is a part of education and overall development.
- Khelo India is really about helping people get better at sports and making sports a big part of our lives.
