Khelo India Programme

A fit and healthy person leads to a fit and powerful society and country. Sports are critical to the general growth of our country. India has achieved significant growth in sports during the previous five years.

It’s time to encourage youthful talent and provide them with world-class facilities and training. We must promote a strong sense of involvement in athletics that allows athletes to reach their full potential. Khelo India programme is one such initiative taken by the Indian government to uplift this ecosystem.

What is the Khelo India Programme?

The federal government presented a proposal to parliament in 2017 for a redesigned Khelo India programme (Play India). The change was intended to promote broad involvement as well as sporting excellence. The approach, on the other hand, was designed to solve a larger issue: resource allocation.

The Khelo India programme sought to provide 1,000 chosen athletes with an annual scholarship of 500,000 apiece for an eight-year period. The programme cost the government a total of 1,756 crores in the first two years, from 2017-18 to 2019-20. In addition, the government vowed to promote 20 institutions across India as sports excellence centres. The law was approved by the Union Cabinet unanimously.

The Khelo India programme was revised to focus on the influence of the whole sports environment, including community sports, equipment, training for excellence, talent identification, competition format and the sports economy.

While previous sports programmes concentrated on equipment, the new initiative, according to sports minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, is centred on developing skills and linking rural India to global competitions.

Eligibility for Khelo India Programme

Individual sports are only available to selected students under the age of seventeen—the top eight athletes from the school games organisation of India’s National School Games. One nominee from the Central Board of Secondary Education, one from the host state and one from the organising committee will represent the federation. For Archery, Badminton and Shooting, the top sixteen from the National School Games, eight federation nominations, one from CBSE, one from the hosting slate, one from the organising committee and six from wild cards will be picked.

Objectives of Khelo India Programme

• The goal of the Khelo India programme is to positively influence the whole sports ecosystem, which includes sports economics, competitive structure, talent identification, coaching and infrastructure.
• In order to maintain a large number of entries for organised sports tournaments, the programme encourages schools and institutions to put on the high-quality programme.
• The scheme was initiated by the Central Government and is fully funded by the Union Government.
• Every year, this pan-India sports scholarship scheme covers 1000 of the most eligible and outstanding athletes from all sports disciplines.
• A scholarship of five lakh rupees will be awarded to chosen athletes for a period of 8 years.
• It’s a one-of-a-kind concept, the first-ever blueprint for establishing a long-term growth route for athletes.
• The initiative seeks to select and promote 20 universities around the country as centres of athletic excellence, allowing athletes to continue both education and sports.
• The initiative encourages schools and institutions to put on high-quality programming to ensure a significant number of entries for organised sports championships.
• The initiative aims to involve youngsters from poor and troubled regions in athletic activities, allowing them to be integrated into society into the nation-building process and weaned away from disruptive behaviour.

Highlights of the Khelo India Programme

• The revamped Khelo India programme will impact the whole sports ecosystem, including community sports, infrastructure development, talent identification, specialised coaching and competition.
• This programme will provide participants with a relaxing environment to focus on their training without distractions.
• The Khelo India programme aims to promote 150 schools and 20 institutions in India as the main centres for sporting success.
• Every year, the government would choose 1000 athletes and provide them with an annual scholarship of Rs 5,00,000 for an eight-year term and opportunities to enhance their talents. In addition, each year, 1000 new athletes will be presented.

Khelo India Youth Games

During the first edition of the Khelo India School Games in 2017, the second edition has evolved into a Central Government project. It has increased its scope and will allow competitors to participate in two main categories: Under-17 and Under-21.

The Khelo India Youth Games initiative was created to revitalise India’s sports culture at the grassroots level by creating a solid framework for all sports and establishing India as a popular sports nation.

The Khelo India initiative has been organised into 12 verticals to achieve the above goals:

• Play field development
• Community coaching development
• State-level Khelo India centres
• Annual sports competition
• Talent search and development
• Utilisation and creation/upgrade of sports infrastructure
• Support to national/regional/state sports academics
• Physical fitness of school children
• Sports for women
• Promotion of sports amongst people with disabilities
• Sports for peace and development
• Promotion of rural and indigenous/tribal games

Conclusion

There is no doubt in the fact that sports are necessary for the growth of an individual as well as the country. Sports are a vital factor in increasing the soft power of the country. So it’s necessary to promote sports culture in the country, especially countries like India, which have so much potential. One of the main objectives of the Khelo India programme is to develop a strong sense of engagement in sports that allows participants to show off their actual abilities on the global level. The goal is to positively influence the whole sports ecosystem, which includes sports economics, competitive structure, talent identification, coaching and infrastructure.