Discuss how the revamped Khelo India Scheme (2026–31) marks a shift from participation-based to podium-oriented sports policy in India.

The Union Cabinet's approval of the revamped Khelo India Scheme along with enhanced Assistance to National Sports Federations (ANSF), with a combined outlay of ₹36,441 crore for 2026–27 to 2030–31 [1], signals a decisive reorientation of Indian sports policy — from broad-based mass participation towards a structured pipeline aimed at international podium finishes, though the participation base is deepened rather than abandoned.

Evidence of the podium-oriented shift

• Scale of financing: the new outlay is nearly eight times the previous phase's ₹3,790.50 crore for 2021–22 to 2025–26 [1][2], reflecting a move from token grassroots funding to sustained elite investment.
• Elite-support architecture: enhanced ANSF funding covers sports science, modern equipment, foreign experts and international exposure [1] — inputs that matter only at competitive levels, not for mass participation.
• Professionalising coaching: a National Coach Accreditation Board to standardise coaching qualifications [1] addresses the quality bottleneck that limits conversion of talent into medals.
• Institutional talent pipeline: Khelo India Feeder Schools and Utkrishta Vidyalayas, with a near ten-fold expansion of the athlete pool under the Emerging Khelo India Athletes category [1], convert scattered talent identification into a graded ladder.

Continuity with the participation mandate

• Khelo India began as a youth talent identification and sports development programme [5], and the revamp retains its grassroots-to-podium framing — "no talent left undiscovered because of geography, economic background or lack of opportunity" [1].
• It operates under the Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 (01.07.2025), whose vision — "Sports for Nation Building" — rests on pillars of social development, economic development and sports as a people's movement [3][4], making participation an end in itself.

Thus the shift is one of emphasis, not substitution: mass participation is being restructured into a feeder system serving excellence. Going forward, outcome-linked federation accountability, transparent athlete selection and sustained state-level infrastructure will determine whether higher outlays translate into medals — aligning sports policy with the constitutional goal of promoting youth welfare and the Niti's holistic development vision.