India Explained
ImplementedBJPNarendra Modi

Khelo India programme

A centrally funded sports programme revamped from 2017-18, supporting grassroots competitions, infrastructure and a scheme of athlete support. Its outlay was extended in 2021 and again in 2026.

Sports policy, Youth programmes

Facts

  • The revamped Khelo India scheme was approved with an outlay of Rs 1,756 crore for 2017-18 to 2019-20; the exact launch date is described differently across sources (2016-17, 2017 and 2018 for the first Khelo India School Games) [1][2].
  • A later outlay of Rs 3,790.50 crore was approved in 2021 for five years [1].
  • The Cabinet approved a combined outlay of Rs 36,441 crore for 2026-27 to 2030-31, of which Rs 29,054 crore is for the Khelo India scheme, and created an 'Emerging Khelo India Athletes' category [1][3].
  • The School Games were renamed Khelo India Youth Games from 2019 [1].
  • In July 2024 the Sports Ministry told the Lok Sabha that 28 of the 117 athletes approved for the Paris Olympics were Khelo India athletes [4].
  • India won six medals at Paris 2024 (one silver, five bronze), ranking 71st in the medal table, against 48th place at Tokyo 2020 [4].

Why

Reasons given by those who did it

  • The government stated the aim was to build a pool of athletes from school level and to strengthen sports infrastructure and competition at the grassroots [1][3].
  • Ministers have stated the scheme feeds athletes into the Target Olympic Podium Scheme [4].

Criticism of that reasoning

  • No independent evaluation or audit of the scheme's outcomes was located in this review, so claims about its effect on elite results are not yet independently tested.

Benefits and concerns

Benefits (2)

  • Systematic pipeline of identified athletes supported by the state.28 of 117 athletes approved for India's Paris 2024 contingent were Khelo India athletes, and the 28 were part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme [4].
  • Sustained and growing funding commitment across governments' budget cycles.Rs 1,756 crore (2017-20), Rs 3,790.50 crore (2021 approval), Rs 29,054 crore (2026-31) [1][3].

Concerns (2)

  • India's Olympic medal ranking was lower at Paris 2024 than at Tokyo 2020; the sources do not link this to the scheme either way.Six medals and 71st place at Paris 2024 versus 48th at Tokyo 2020; the source does not say how many medals came from Khelo India athletes [4].
  • Attribution and cost-effectiveness are unclear without an independent evaluation.No audit or evaluation report was found; the funding rise across cycles is not matched by published outcome measures in the sources reviewed.

Evidence points

+4.0
points, mean of two scorers (scale −25 to +25)
+4 to +4
range between the two scorers' totals
Low confidence
scorers agree within 1 point on every criterion
ReachHow many people did the action materially affect?
Mean +2.0A +2B +2
Outcome evidenceDo official or independent data show the intended result (or its opposite), compared with the era baseline and peers?
Mean 0.0A 0B 0
Cost and sustainabilityIs the fiscal cost proportionate, and is the effect durable?
Mean +0.5A 0B +1
Process and rightsWas it made with debate, consultation and legal soundness, and did it respect rights and court rulings?
Mean 0.0A 0B 0
DeliveryWas it implemented as announced, on time and at scale?
Mean +1.5A +2B +1

Positive meanNegative meanScorer AScorer B

Scorer A. Funding has grown and Khelo India athletes feature in the Olympic pool, but no independent evaluation exists and Paris 2024 medal ranking was lower than Tokyo.

Scorer B. Funding grew across cycles but no independent evaluation exists and Paris 2024 results were not better than Tokyo ranking suggests.

Context used when scoring

Era baseline
India placed 48th in the Tokyo 2020 medal table; the Khelo India School Games began only in 2018.
Lag before outcomes show
6 years
Shocks considered
covid-2020
Uncertainty
Low confidence. Scorer totals are +4 and +4. How uncertainty is shown.

In depth

The Khelo India scheme, revamped from 2017-18, supports competitions at school and university level, sports infrastructure and a programme of support for selected athletes. Funding has risen over successive approvals: Rs 1,756 crore for 2017-20, Rs 3,790.50 crore approved in 2021, and Rs 29,054 crore approved for 2026-31 within a larger outlay.

The government reports that a significant share of recent national contingents consists of athletes identified through the scheme, such as 28 of 117 at Paris 2024. Whether this indicates the scheme caused those athletes’ progress or reflects their selection is not established by the sources reviewed. India’s medal ranking at Paris 2024 was lower than at Tokyo 2020.

The exact start date is described differently across sources, so the entry uses 2018 as the year of the first Khelo India Games. Several details, such as athlete numbers and the scholarship amount, could not be verified and are omitted. The independent evaluation of outcomes is a key gap, so confidence is low.

Sources

  2. PIB document on Khelo India (June 2025)
    Press Information BureauOfficial data

Last reviewed .Report an error orchallenge a score.

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