New Delhi: The Khelo India programme of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has been one of the top beneficiaries under the allocation of sports budget. The sports budget has been hiked by Rs 351.98 crore in the Union Budget, which was presented by India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the Parliament in the national capital here on Saturday.
The overall allocation for the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is Rs 3794.30 crore, including Rs 3788.49 crore under revenue expenditure and Rs 5.81 crore under capital expenditure. This is an increase of Rs 351.98 crore from the previous sports budget.
This is another step of the government to promote sports in the country and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitions of India to host an Olympic event in 2036, for which the letter was submitted to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Significant Budget Boost for Indian Sports Development
The Khelo India programme, which was introduced in 2018, is government’s flagship programme to revive sports culture in the country and promote it at the grassroot levels. The ambitious scheme has been granted Rs 1000 crore for the next financial year (2025-26), which is Rs 200 crore more than the one that was allocated in the current financial year (2024-25) of Rs 800 crore.
The financial aid to the National Sports Federation (NSFs) has been hiked to Rs 400 crore than the Rs 340 crore last year. The Central Sector Schemes are another beneficiary in this budget with an allocation of Rs 21,91.01 crore, a spike amount of Rs 1,569.76 crore from the previous one.
The Sports Authority of India (SAI), the top body of the Ministry of of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) responsible for to train and develop athletes, has been allocated Rs 830 crore, a marginal increase from Rs 815 crore in the last financial calendar year.
However, the budget for rewarding athletes from cash awards and pension has been decreased from Rs 42.65 crore to Rs 37 crore. Considering that this particular financial year does not include any major multi-sporting event as Commonwealth Games, Asian Games or Olympic Games.
India’s Union Budget 2025-26 significantly boosted the sports sector, allocating ₹3794.30 crore to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports—a ₹351.98 crore increase. The Khelo India program received a substantial ₹1000 crore allocation, while funding for National Sports Federations rose to ₹400 crore. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
