Critically evaluate the effectiveness of scheme-based sports funding models in India with reference to Khelo India.

Q. Critically evaluate the effectiveness of scheme-based sports funding models in India with reference to Khelo India. (15 marks, 250-350 words)

India's sports architecture rests on centrally sponsored schemes rather than a statutory framework. The Union Cabinet's approval of a revamped Khelo India and enhanced Assistance to National Sports Federations (ANSF) — a combined ₹36,441 crore outlay for 2026–27 to 2030–31, nearly eight times the previous allocation [1] — makes this the moment to judge whether scheme-led funding can deliver sustained sporting excellence.

Merits of the scheme-based model - Scale and predictability: five-year outlays (₹3,790.50 crore for 2021–26, now ₹36,441 crore) give federations a stable planning horizon instead of ad-hoc grants [1][4]. - Grassroots reach: over 1,000 Khelo India Centres, 267 supported academies and 2,745 Khelo India Athletes receiving coaching, equipment and monthly allowances create a wide talent funnel [2]. - Infrastructure creation: 349 sports infrastructure projects worth about ₹3,176 crore address the facility deficit in smaller towns [2]. - Institutional deepening: new Khelo India Feeder Schools, Utkrishta Vidyalayas and a National Coach Accreditation Board embed sport in schooling and professionalise coaching [1].

Limitations - Federation dependence: ANSF routes funds through NSFs whose governance, elections and accountability remain contested, diluting outcomes [4]. - Input-heavy design: outlays and centres are counted more readily than podium conversion; scheme metrics reward spending over performance. - Fiscal-cycle vulnerability: schemes require periodic Cabinet renewal, so continuity depends on political will rather than legal guarantee. - Uneven federalism: sport is a State subject, and Union schemes cannot compel matching State capacity or maintenance of created assets.

The model has demonstrably widened participation and built physical capacity, but its weakest link is governance, not money. Anchoring Khelo India in the Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 vision of "Sports for Nation Building" [3], with outcome-linked federation funding, transparent NSF governance and State co-ownership of assets, would convert expenditure into excellence — advancing both youth empowerment under SDG-3 and India's 2036 Olympic ambition.

(~320 words)

Sources: 1. Cabinet approves revamped Khelo India Scheme and enhanced Assistance to National Sports Federations (ANSFs), PIB — ₹36,441 crore outlay for 2026–31, eight-fold increase, KIFS/KIUV and National Coach Accreditation Board 2. The Making of a Sporting Nation (PIB Backgrounder) — Khelo India Centres, supported academies, Khelo India Athletes, infrastructure projects 3. Khelo Bharat Niti 2025, PIB — policy vision "Sports for Nation Building" 4. Revised Scheme of Assistance to National Sports Federations, PIB — ₹3,790.50 crore Khelo India outlay for 2021–26 and NSF-routed funding