Rohit Mitra
New Delhi, Feb 1(.) Presenting the Budget in Parliament on Sunday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced an increase in allocation by one third to 4,479.88 crore for 2026-27, for the sports ministry. Of this, Rs. 500 crore has been allocated for ‘Promotion of Sports Goods Manufacturing’.
Sitharaman also announced the launch of the ‘Khelo India Mission’, to be implemented over the next decade, in order upgrade the quality of the overall sport eco-system, including infrastructure and sportspersons, in the country.
The Finance Minister said, “The sports sector provides multiple means of employment, skilling and job opportunities. Taking forward the systematic nurturing of sports talent which was set in motion through The Khelo India programme earlier, I propose to launch a Khelo India Mission to transform the sports sector over the next decade.”
Speaking to ., Minister of State for Sports Raksha Khadse described the proposed ‘Khelo India mission’ as a big reform in the Khelo games “Khelo India mission is a way to reform Khelo India, which will look to further identify and develop grass root level talent in a more effective manner, it will undertake development of more infrastructure, promote a sporting culture and embed it more firmly in the interiors of our country where talent lies hidden.”
India has been trying to nurture talent from backward, tribal districts in both track and field events as well as games such as hockey and has been extremely succesful in places such as tribal districts of Odisha and Jharkhand as well as in northeast.
“Sports science will be another important aspect of this, infrastructure of sports science has to be enhanced and, competition and leagues will be increased the mission will to develop in sports other than cricket,” Khadse said.
Recognising India’s potential in the global sports manufacturing ecosystem, the Budget also proposed a dedicated initiative for sports goods manufacturing, the Finance Minister said.
“India has the potential to emerge as a global hub for high quality, affordable sports goods. I propose a dedicated initiative for sports goods that will promote manufacturing, research and innovation in equipment design as well as material sciences,” Sitharaman said.
India’s century-old sports goods industry is already a global manufacturing powerhouse, particularly in cricket gear and inflatables, with 75-80 per cent of production concentrated in Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh, with hubs elsewhere including Delhi, West Bengal, and Jammu & Kashmir. However, in recent years cheaper production by China and Asean countries has been a challenge for India.
The Budget 2026- 27 provides enhanced financial support to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, with an increase of Rs 1,133 crore in overall budget allocation, to fulfil the vision of positioning India among the Top 10 sporting nations by 2036 and among the Top 5 by 2047.
The allocation for the Ministry has increased from Rs 3,346 crore (RE) in 2025–26 to Rs 4,479.88 crore (BE) in 2026–27. The enhanced allocation will strengthen implementation of centrally driven sports and youth development schemes, including athlete development programmes, youth engagement initiatives, coaching and support systems, sports science integration and infrastructure development. . .