India boosts Khelo India scheme with Rs 29,054 crore, adds state cost‑sharing

The Government of India approved a Rs 29,054 crore outlay for the 2026‑31 phase of the Khelo India Scheme, the first stage of a ten‑year plan to improve the country's Olympic performance. A new Rs 565 crore component requires state governments to co‑fund sports‑infrastructure projects, with funding ratios of 60:40 for most states, 90:10 for North‑Eastern and Himalayan states, and 100 % central funding for Union Territories.

The expanded scheme aims to raise the number of supported athletes from about 2,700 to roughly 27,000, develop Olympic Training Centres, strengthen rural sports facilities, and introduce talent‑identification programmes such as Emerging Khelo India Athletes, Khelo India Utkrishta Vidyalayas and Khelo India Feeder Schools. It also calls for greater private‑academy involvement, enhanced coach education through the National Coach Accreditation Board, and broader use of sports science, alongside extensions of the Fit India initiative and the Sundays on Cycle campaign.