Revamped Khelo India Scheme a Gamechanger for Indian Sports: Olympian Jwala Gutta
Hyderabad, Aug 21 (TNT): Two-time Olympian and former world badminton championships medallist Jwala Gutta on Friday described the revamped Khelo India Scheme as a “gamechanger” that has the potential to transform the sports ecosystem in the country.
Addressing a media conference here, Gutta said the initiative was “long overdue” and would provide a stronger pathway for athletes from the grassroots level to Olympic excellence.
“I am a government product myself and without its support I would not have achieved whatever I have as a player. In its new avatar, the Khelo India Scheme looks extremely promising. With its thrust on grassroots development and sustainability, parents will feel very secure to send their children to play a sport,” Gutta said.
She said the government’s focus on sports would have a far-reaching impact and expressed happiness at being associated with the scheme.
The conference was attended by Dr A Sonibala Devi, Vice-Chairperson and Managing Director of the Sports Authority of Telangana, Vishnu Sudhakaran, Regional Director of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Bengaluru, and S Hima Bindu, SAI Deputy Director, Delhi.
Hima Bindu outlined the key components of the revamped scheme and its expected impact on Telangana.
The 2026-31 Khelo India Scheme has an outlay of Rs 29,054 crore, an eight-fold increase over the previous outlay, and aims to increase the number of athletes supported tenfold, she said
“The grassroots to Olympic excellence pathway has been well thought through. The scheme addresses gaps in the system and the formation of a coaches’ board will help uplift the way a child plays sport. The academy structure will be bolstered and there are adequate funds to boost infrastructure and sports technology,” Hima Bindu said.
Telangana has already been notified of 33 Khelo India Centres, where more than 601 athletes are being trained by Past Champion Athletes.
A Khelo India State Centre of Excellence (CoE) is operational in Medchal-Malkajgiri, supporting 254 athletes, including 152 male and 102 female athletes, in rowing, weightlifting and fencing.
Nineteen Khelo India Accredited Academies have also been notified in the state in disciplines including athletics, gymnastics, shooting, badminton, table tennis, cycling, tennis and football.
Under the Sports for Women vertical, 127 ASMITA leagues have been organised in Telangana, attracting 20,921 female athletes.
A key feature of the revamped scheme is the proposed standardised, scientific and technology-enabled talent identification system through Khelo India Utkrishta Vidyalayas, Feeder Schools and Khelo India Centres.
The framework envisages the identification and development of Khelo India Athletes (KIA) and Emerging Khelo India Athletes (E-KIA).
Strengthening cooperation between the Centre and states is another focus area of the scheme. Telangana is scheduled to host the Khelo India Youth Games later this year.
The scheme provides for a Centre-State collaborative model, with funding linked to talent progression, athlete retention, grassroots-to-elite transition and reform-based milestones.
“This is extremely advantageous for a state like Telangana. The scheme will help in legacy planning and its vision will have far-reaching consequences on the way a state approaches sport as a subject. Since sports will be entwined with the education policy, we should see much better results,” Sonibala Devi said.
Sudhakaran said operational guidelines for the revamped scheme were still being worked out and would provide further clarity on its implementation.
“Earlier we used to have a ‘focused’ approach with limited budgets. But this Khelo India Scheme is the result of a lot of discussion with stakeholders and it is a win-win situation for all,” he said.
He said the increased allocation had been structured to strengthen the sports movement and support the objective of taking sports to the masses under the Khelo Bharat Niti.
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