Major Sports and Youth Promotion Schemes in India

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports uses policy frameworks, digital platforms and athlete-support schemes to strengthen sport at every level in India. These measures link school education, talent identification, elite training and youth engagement into one system.

Khelo Bharat Niti 2025: National Sports Policy

• New national policy: The Union Government introduced Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 on July 1, 2025, replacing the National Sports Policy of 2001.
• Vision: Its guiding idea is “Sports for Nation Building – Harness the Power of Sports for Nation’s Holistic Development.”
• Five pillars: The policy rests on five pillars: nation’s excellence on the global stage, sports for economic development, sports for social development, sports as a people’s movement, and alignment with the National Education Policy 2020.
• School integration: Physical literacy is integrated into the school curriculum, and physical education instructors are expected to function as talent scouts from an early stage.
• Systemic tracking: The policy emphasises regular athletic tracking rather than treating sports only as an extracurricular activity.

Revamped Khelo India Scheme (2026–2031)

• Approved outlay: The revamped Khelo India Scheme has been approved for 2026–27 to 2030–31 with a combined outlay of ₹36,441 crore, which also covers the Assistance to National Sports Federations (ANSF) scheme.
• Khelo India share: Of this amount, ₹29,054 crore is allocated to Khelo India.
• Restructuring: The scheme has moved from a five-component structure to a nine-component structure.
• Feeder schools: It introduces Khelo India Feeder Schools (KIFS) and Khelo India Utkrishta Vidyalayas (KIUV) to combine sports training with mainstream education.
• Coaching standards: The National Coach Accreditation Board has been introduced to regulate coaching certifications.
• Talent pipeline: The Emerging Khelo India Athletes (E-KIAs) category has been created as a backup talent pool for senior national teams.

Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) Reorganization

• Umbrella division: In May 2026, the Sports Authority of India designated TOPS as the single nodal umbrella division for developmental and operational requirements across 27 sports disciplines.
• Elite support: As of August 2025, TOPS supported 369 elite sportspersons preparing for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
• Training support: The scheme provides customised training, international exposure and scientific training support.
• Allowance structure: TOPS Core Group athletes receive ₹50,000 per month as out-of-pocket allowance.
• Development Group: Athletes in the Development Group receive ₹25,000 per month.

Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat) Digital Platform

• Youth platform: Launched in October 2023, MY Bharat is an autonomous digital public infrastructure under the ministry for young people aged 15–29 years.
• Purpose: It provides centralised access to skill development, volunteering and civic leadership opportunities.
• Volunteer opportunities: By mid-2026, the platform hosted over 1.52 lakh digital volunteer opportunities.
• Experiential learning: It also included more than 24,900 Experiential Learning Programs (ELPs).
• Registration base: Over 2.22 crore young Indians have registered on the platform.
• Digital tools: The platform uses geo-tagging and digital certificates to manage volunteer activities.

Draft National Youth Policy 2025

• Policy update: The Draft National Youth Policy 2025 updates and replaces the National Youth Policy of 2014.
• Core concerns: It addresses economic productivity, education, employment and social justice.
• Youth Budget Statement: The policy proposes an annual consolidated Youth Budget Statement to track fiscal investments made for young people across ministries.
• Priority areas: Key focus areas include health and well-being, skill development, digital literacy and civic participation.

Key Prelims Takeaways

• Policy shift: Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 replaced the National Sports Policy of 2001.
• Policy vision: The sports policy links national development, education and elite performance.
• Khelo India outlay: The combined outlay for Khelo India and ANSF for 2026–27 to 2030–31 is ₹36,441 crore.
• ANSF allocation: Of the total outlay, ₹7,387 crore is for ANSF.
• TOPS structure: TOPS functions as the single umbrella division of SAI across 27 disciplines.
• MY Bharat scale: The platform has over 2.22 crore registrations, over 1.52 lakh volunteer opportunities and more than 24,900 ELPs.
• Youth policy tool: NYP-2025 proposes a consolidated Youth Budget Statement for tracking spending on youth.