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Top 5 government schemes to
promote sports culture in India
Pranav Khandale
Sr. Content Writer
India’s premier sports body, the Sports Authority of India (SAI), has been the architect of India’s sporting
ambitions. SAI has played a talismanic role in developing the country’s sports culture. The apex sports
body formulates and implements various sports schemes in India and has designed a holistic approach
to improve the structure of sports and physical education in the country. In terms of age distribution,
India is one of the youngest nations in the world, with 59.69% population below the age of 34. To
capitalise on this age advantage, the Indian government has significantly contributed to sports schemes
for youth in India.
SAI has established 273 centres across the country to implement and execute the schemes upheld by
the Ministry of Youth Aairs and Sports. Primarily, schemes for sports in India aim to identify potential
sports talent. The Indian government allocated an annual sportsbudget of INR 2,596.14 crore for 2021-
22. Out of which SAI was sanctioned INR 660.41 crores. In this blog, we will decode the pathway defined
by the government to boost the sports industry by oering lucrative schemes for sports training in
India.
1. National Sports Talent Contest Scheme (NSTC)
The NSTC is implemented to target Sub-Junior level trainees. The primary function of the sports scheme in India is to
identify talented players in the 8 - 16 years age group and offer them grants and experienced coaches to nurture their
talent. The NSTC scheme also aims to uplift traditional indigenous sports in the country. NSTC Akharas is a prime
example of the scheme. Wrestling is a conventional sport mainly played in the country's rural areas; before the 2012
London Olympics, India could bag multiple medals at the junior level but could not replicate the performance at the
senior level. With the help of the NSTC Akhara scheme, the government developed 40 Akharas across the country and
encouraged kids to take up the sport as a career. The result of NSTC Akharas scheme in India is quite evident. India has
won more than 100 international medals in the senior category since the 2012 London Olympics.
2. Fit India Movement
The Fit India Movement was launched on the 29th of August 2019 on the 7th National Sports Day by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi to make fitness an integral part of day-to-day lives. The prime motive of the movement was to bring
behavioural changes in the lifestyle. The objectives of the scheme for sports in India are as follows:
To promote fitness as easy, fun and free
To spread awareness on fitness and various physical activities that promote fitness through focused campaigns
To encourage indigenous sports
To make fitness reach every school, college/university, panchayat/village etc.
To create a platform for citizens of India to share information, drive awareness and encourage sharing of personal
fitness stories
Subsidiary programs such as ‘Fitness ki dose aadha ghanta roz’ has been one of the most popular schemes for sports
in India. Moreover, it revived indigenous sports like Akhada Kushti, Thang-Ta, Kalaripayattu, Kho Kho, Mallakhamb,
Kabaddi and Gatka.
3. Khelo India
The Khelo India Scheme is a sports scheme for the youth in India and was launched in 2018 by Sports the then Minister
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore after a collaboration of three schemes for sports training in India, namely Rajiv Gandhi
Khel Abhiyan, Urban Sports Infrastructure Scheme and National Sports Search Scheme. The initiative’s main aim is to
boost youth's mass participation and achieve excellence in sports. The initiative has received better support from the
government and has reached all rural parts of the country. Modern-day infrastructure to support grassroots and
advanced-level athletes has been developed in Karnataka, Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Manipur, Mizoram, Odisha,
Telangana and Nagaland in the first phase. The Khelo India scheme for sports in India plans to engage the youth of the
nation in sports activities, especially those from financially deprived backgrounds. Over a while, the program has
impacted the sports ecosystem, including the sports economy, competition structure and talent identification.
Simultaneously, the government values academics equally; hence, they have taken measures to promote 20
universities in the country as centres of sports distinction.
4. Special Area Game Scheme (SAG)
The Special Area Game Scheme is a scheme for sports training in India that aims to identify mainstream sports from
tribal, rural, hilly, and coastal areas of the country. The sports scheme targets junior-level trainees, allowing the sports
authorities to mould and nurture them to achieve excellence in sports. The unique scheme also identifies future talent
from indigenous games and martial arts from various regions and communities. For example, Kalaripayattu from
Kerala, the Special Area Game Scheme, confirms that the natives of Kerala are in an advantageous position to perform
better due to their genetic diversity and discipline. The scheme covers 26 disciplines with age criteria of 12-18 years for
individual sports, 10-14 years for team games. Currently, 20 Special Area Games Schemes are operating with a total
strength of 2,167 talented trainees.
5. Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS)
To achieve India’s Olympics Medal dream, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports established a flagship program to
assist India’s top athletes. The primary goal is to identify premier athletes who are potential medal winners in the
upcoming Olympic Games. The scheme also keeps a close eye on future athletes. Once the premier athletes are
identified, they fund them and also nurture them through the best possible training programs offered by elite coaches.
TOPS-sponsored athletes have gained success in the past; P.V. Sindhu won a badminton Silver medal, whereas Sakshi
Malik bagged a Bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The recently concluded Commonwealth Games comprised 47
athletes supported by the TOPS scheme.
Take the first step forward
Most of these schemes are implemented and executed by SAI through their regional centres located in Bengaluru,
Kolkata, Gandhinagar, Mumbai, Bhopal, Sonepat, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Guwahati, Imphal and academic wings
situated in Patiala, Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education and Trivandrum. Sports encompasses multiple
aspects of life and always gives you a competitive mindset. Spolto has taken a step to promote sports and make them
accessible to one and all. We have partnered with multiple coaches and academies to help you jump-start your sports
journey.
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Pranav Khandale
Sr. Content Writer
Pranav is a passionate sports content writer fondly addressed as a natural athlete by his coaches.
Pranav represented the West Zone in All India Hockey Camps and was a part of the Middlesex Cricket
team that won Bucks Cricket League in the UK. While in the UK, Pranav developed interest for Football
and Rugby and o en writes about multiple sports.
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