KHELO BHARAT NITI 2025

THE CONTEXT: On 1 July 2025 the Union Cabinet approved the National Sports Policy (NSP) 2025, replacing the 2001 policy and explicitly positioning India to bid for the 2036 Olympic Games while treating sport as a catalyst for health, economy and soft power.

INDIA’S POLICY TRAJECTORY IN BRIEF:

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK:

• • Human-Capital: Sport enhances productivity and social capital, feeding directly into SDG-3 (health) and SDG-8 (decent work).
  • Soft-Power Paradigm: Medals, mega-events and indigenous games add to India’s diplomatic toolkit.
  • Developmental-State Lens: A proactive state can crowd-in private investment, as seen in China (Sport Industry Plan 2025) and the United Kingdom (UK Sport lottery model).

WHY A NEW POLICY?

GLOBAL BENCHMARKS:

THE ISSUES:

• • Constitutional Asymmetry: Sport remains a state subject; Centre–State coordination is ad-hoc, leading to funding overlaps and infrastructure duplication.
  • Governance Deficit: Over 20 National Sports Federations are yet to comply with the Sports Code on age-limits and cooling-off periods, fostering patronage networks.
  • Science & Doping Vacuum: Only 3 % of SAI centres have accredited sport-science labs; India tops WADA’s positivity rate at 3.2 %.
  • Infrastructure Divide: Rural India accounts for 65 % youth but houses less than 20 % recognised playfields; urban stadiums remain under-utilised during non-event days.
  • Inclusive Access: Participation of women (34 %) and persons with disabilities (1 %) in organised sport remains low due to safety, social norms and inaccessible venues.
  • Economic Harnessing: Sports goods exports plateaued after COVID-19; value addition and branding are weak compared to rivals like Vietnam.
  • Data Deficit: Absence of a unified athlete-management system hampers evidence-based policymaking and talent tracking.

THE WAY FORWARD:

• • Unlock School & Panchayat Playgrounds Daily: States can invoke the Khelo India operational guidelines, which already mandate that funded facilities be opened to neighbourhood users free or at nominal cost. A simple district order—on the lines of Chandigarh’s 2025 directive that made 41 government-school grounds available to local clubs after 4 p.m.—is enough to operationalise access with no new spending.
  • Create a “Sports-CSR Exchange” on the MCA Portal: Companies already spent ₹526 crore on “training to promote sports” in 2022-23, yet this was barely 1.8 percent of total CSR outlay. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs can add a geotagged “marketplace” tab on its existing CSR-2 filing site—matching district-wise needs (sourced from SAI and State Olympic Associations) with firms seeking eligible projects, exactly the way the Aspirational Districts dashboard matches NGOs.
  • Piggy-back Sports-Science Cells on District Hospitals: Instead of building new labs, Sports Authority of India can replicate its Patiala model, where sports-medicine courses run inside Government Medical College premises, by posting one physiotherapist-cum-nutritionist team to every district hospital under the National Health Mission contract head. The facility simultaneously services public-health rehab patients, ensuring 80 percent utilisation year-round.
  • Make Anti-Doping e-Certification Mandatory for Competition Entry: National Anti-Doping Agency already runs free virtual awareness sessions and ADEL online courses; linking the course-completion QR code to state championships’ registration portals costs only a one-time API integration fee. Host associations simply refuse electronic entries that lack the QR, mirroring the successful model used for coach-licensing in football.
  • Upskill Local Coaches through Existing NS NIS Online Modules: Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports now delivers six-week certificate courses in hybrid mode at ₹22,850; district authorities can sponsor at least two village-level coaches per block using the Khelo India “Talent Development” sub-head (₹5 lakh per district cap). Trainees sign a two-year service bond with the district sports office, ensuring skills stay local.
  • Leverage PM SHRI Upgrades for Inclusive Sports Access: PM SHRI school retrofits already budget for multi-sport courts and universal-design toilets; adding ramps, tactile paths and low-cost para-sport kits keeps additional expenditure below ₹1 lakh per campus.

THE CONCLUSION:

NSP 2025 is a pivot from episodic glory to systemic excellence. If the regulatory bite matches the visionary bark, India can move from the current medal tally to a sustained double-digit haul by 2036, while embedding sport in everyday life and local economies. The baton now passes to States, federations and citizens to convert policy prose into podium finishes.

UPSC PAST YEAR QUESTION:

Q. Terrorist activities and mutual distrust have clouded India-Pakistan relations. To what extent the use of soft power like sports and cultural exchanges could help generate goodwill between the two countries? Discuss with suitable examples. 2015

MAINS PRACTICE QUESTION: 

Q. National Sports Policy 2025 seeks to mainstream sport as a tool for economic development, social inclusion and global soft power. Evaluate

SOURCE:

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2141138

https://www.thehindu.com/sport/a-look-at-indias-sports-policy-journey-post-independence-explained/article69761276.ece#:~:text=In%202000%2C%20India%20created%20a,albeit%20with%20a%20small%20allocation.