Revamped Khelo India Scheme and Enhanced Assistance to National Sports Federations (ANSFs)

About Revamped Khelo India Scheme and Enhanced Assistance to National Sports Federations (ANSFs)

• It is a combined and expanded scheme of Khelo India Scheme to harness the power of sports for youth development and nation-building.
• Aim: It aims to nurture champions, inspire a culture of fitness, strengthen India’s sporting ecosystem and position the country among the world’s leading sporting nations.
• Budget outlay and duration: The combined outlay of scheme is of Rs.36,441 crore for the period 2026–27 to 2030–31. 
• Aligned with: It is aligned with the vision of Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 and the National Education Policy 2020.
• It integrates sports with education, fitness, technology and high-performance training while laying a strong foundation for India’s long-term sporting ambitions.
• It seeks to ensure that no sporting talent is left undiscovered because of geography, economic background or lack of opportunity.
• Features:
  • Comprehensive Athlete Development Pathway: For the first time, a comprehensive athlete development pathway has been created to support young sportspersons at every stage such as from talent identification and scientific training to international competition and Olympic preparation.
    • Integrated nationwide sports ecosystem: It establishes an integrated nationwide sports ecosystem to provide world-class coaching, sports science support, and modern infrastructure.
    • Two New Initiatives: Two new initiatives, Khelo India Feeder Schools (KIFS) and Khelo India Utkrishta Vidyalayas (KIUV) has been introduced to strengthen the school sports ecosystem. It will integrate sports with mainstream education and enable early identification and systematic nurturing of talented children.
  • Creation of the Emerging Khelo India Athletes (E-KIAs) category: It has been created alongside the existing Khelo India Athletes programme.  This will expand the structured athlete development ecosystem by nearly ten times, bringing thousands of additional young athletes under professional coaching, scientific support and long-term mentoring.
  • Nationwide Talent Identification Framework: A strengthened nationwide talent identification framework will be developed to ensure continuous identification, tracking and development of promising athletes across the country.
    • It establishes a clear pathway from grassroots competitions to Khelo India and TOPS, providing world-class training, international exposure, and support for elite athletes.
  • Strengthening India’s domestic competition ecosystem: It supports school, university, regional and sport-specific leagues alongside national championships to provide sustained competitive exposure to young athletes.
    • Special emphasis has been placed on expanding opportunities for women athletes, para-athletes, indigenous sports, and sports as a tool for peace, inclusion and community development.
    • It also provides support for organising the National Games and hosting major international sporting events in India.
  • Expanded Fit India Movement: It will promote fitness as a nationwide movement, particularly among young people, encouraging active lifestyles, women’s participation in sports, outreach in border and remote areas and sports-based initiatives against substance abuse, reinforcing sports as a vehicle for social transformation.
  • National Coach Accreditation Board (NCAB): The Government will establish the National Coach Accreditation Board (NCAB) to standardise coaching qualifications, improve professional standards and strengthen the capacity of coaches and support staff across the country.
  • Unified digital sports platform: It also envisages a unified digital sports platform integrating athlete databases, infrastructure, competitions, coaching resources, talent assessments, funding and Fit India participation.
    • The platform will enable data-driven planning, transparent governance and personalised athlete development.
  • Collaboration: The Government 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.
• About Strengthened Assistance to National Sports Federations (ANSF) Scheme 
  • Strengthened Assistance to National Sports Federations (ANSF) Scheme has been approved to complement the revamped Khelo India Scheme.
  • Features:
    • It 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.
    • It will also support sports cooperation with countries of the Global South and promote India’s indigenous sports internationally.