Parliament Question: Chronic Vacancies for Soft Infrastructure in NCOEs

Government of India Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports Department of Sports LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3532 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.08.2026 Chronic Vacancies for Soft Infrastructure in NCOEs

3532. Shri Brijmohan Agrawal:

Will the Minister of YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS be pleased to state:

(a) the total number of sanctioned and filled positions for "soft infrastructure" (sports science personnel) across all 23 National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs) and the current unspent NCSSR funds for 2025-26;

(b) the reasons for chronic vacancies—reportedly 45 percent in SAI— particularly for High-Performance Directors and Biomechanists under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) development group;

(c) whether rigid remuneration caps hinder recruitment and if so, the details thereof;

(d) the actual availability of sports psychologists and nutritionists across Khelo India Centres (KIC) and Sports Authority of India (SAI) Training Centres in Chhattisgarh; and

(e) the timeline proposed for replacing short-term contractual hiring by institutionalizing a permanent Sports Science Cadre with globally competitive pay, alongwith decentralized medical Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) to rectify these operational bottlenecks? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS DR. MANSUKH MANDAVIYA

(a) to (e) The details of sanctioned posts and current strength of Sports Science personnel across the 23 National Centres of Page 1 of 2Excellence (NCOEs) are 384 and 211, respectively. Further, the unspent balance of NCSSR funds for the financial year 2025-26 is Rs.

21,471/-.

Recruitment to fill the remaining vacancies is as per the applicable Recruitment Rules to strengthen the high-performance sports ecosystem and provide scientific and technical support to athletes under various schemes, including TOPS.

SAI has implemented the recommendation of 7th Central pay commission (CPC). Accordingly, remuneration is at par with Central Government norms, and there is no hindrance in recruitment on account of remuneration.

The Recruitment Rules for various posts in the Sports Authority of India (SAI) have recently been revised. Recruitment to various posts is governed by the revised Recruitment Rules and applicable procedures. SAI is also strengthening its sports science framework through engagement of qualified Sports Science Associates, recruitment of Performance Analysts, and collaborations with leading medical, academic and research institutions through MoUs.

At present, psychologists and nutritionists are not available at SAI Training Centres/ Khelo India Centres in Chhattisgarh. ****** Page 2 of 2