MUMBAI: The Sports Authority of India (SAI), Regional Centre Mumbai, today organised a press interaction on the Khelo India Revamped Scheme (2026–31), highlighting the Government of India’s expanded vision to strengthen India’s sporting ecosystem and create a seamless pathway for athletes from grassroots participation to national and international sporting excellence.
With Maharashtra being one of India’s leading sporting ecosystems, the interaction focused on how the expanded Khelo India framework can further strengthen the State’s sporting pathway — from schools and grassroots talent identification to Khelo India Centres, Emerging Khelo India Athletes, high-performance training, competitions and ultimately the national and international stage.
The revamped Khelo India Scheme represents a significant expansion of the Government’s investment in sports, with an outlay of ₹36,441 crore for 2026–31, approximately eight times the previous outlay. The scheme aims to expand the number of athletes supported by nearly 10 times, creating a much larger and more structured sporting ecosystem across the country.
The interaction was attended by Shri Pandurang Chate (IRS), Regional Director, SAI Regional Centre Mumbai, along with Shri Ankit Patil, Assistant Director, SAI Regional Centre Mumbai, and distinguished Indian sportspersons Shri Pramod Bhagat, Padma Shri awardee, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Awardee, Paralympic Gold Medallist and multiple-time World Champion in Para-Badminton; Shri Sukant Kadam, BWF World Championship Gold Medallist in Para-Badminton; and Ms. Rutuja Sampatrao Bhosale, Asian Games Gold Medallist in Tennis.
Building a stronger Maharashtra-to-podium pathway:
The revamped Khelo India framework provides an opportunity to strengthen Maharashtra’s existing sporting ecosystem by connecting different stages of an athlete’s development into a more coherent pathway.
The focus is not merely on creating additional sporting centres, but on ensuring that a young athlete can be identified early, receive structured training and support, gain regular competition exposure and progressively move towards high-performance sport.
For Maharashtra, this approach is particularly relevant given the depth of sporting talent across Mumbai and other districts. While Mumbai has the potential to function as a major high-performance sporting hub, strengthening sporting facilities and opportunities across districts will be critical to ensuring that talent from across the State has access to appropriate infrastructure, coaching and competition.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Pandurang Chate (IRS), Regional Director, SAI Regional Centre Mumbai, said the revamped scheme represents a shift towards developing a complete sporting pathway, connecting schools and grassroots centres with structured training, competitions and high-performance opportunities. Addressing our Newsman Sachin Murdeshwar, He expressed confidence that Maharashtra, with its strong sporting culture and talent base, can significantly benefit from the expanded framework.The scheme covers nine key components, including sports infrastructure, competitions and leagues, talent identification, Khelo India Training Facilities, coach and support staff development, the Fit India Movement and Sports Technology. Its infrastructure strategy focuses on Sports Infrastructure for Medal Strategy, Strengthening Strategic Sports Assets and State Action Plan for Sports Infrastructure Development.
Under the framework, existing infrastructure across Olympic, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games disciplines will be mapped and assessed to identify gaps, upgrade requirements and the need for new facilities. The State Action Plan will provide States a greater role in developing and strengthening sports infrastructure.
The revamped framework also envisages Khelo India Utkrishta Vidyalayas, Khelo India Feeder Schools and Khelo India Centres to widen the talent identification and development network. Support will be provided to Khelo India Athletes (KIA) and Emerging Khelo India Athletes (E-KIA) across major sporting disciplines.
Sharing their perspectives, Shri Pramod Bhagat emphasised quality coaching, facilities, competition exposure and sports science, particularly for para athletes. Shri Sukant Kadam highlighted early talent identification and sustained support, while Ms. Rutuja Sampatrao Bhosale stressed regular competition, quality coaching and access to facilities closer to athletes’ homes.The revamped scheme seeks to integrate talent identification, infrastructure, coaching, sports science, technology and competition opportunities to enable athletes to progress systematically from the grassroots to the national and international stage.