Parliament Question: Employment and Entrepreneurship in Sports Sector

Government of India Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports Department of Sports LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3482 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.08.2026 Employment and Entrepreneurship in Sports Sector

3482. SMT. RACHNA BANERJEE:

Will the Minister of YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS be pleased to

state:

(a) the initiatives undertaken by the Government to promote employment and entrepreneurship among youth through the sports sector in the country, State/UTwise;

(b) whether any skill development programmes have been launched for coaches, trainers, sports managers and fitness professionals;

(c) the details of number of beneficiaries under such programmes during the last three years, State-wise; and

(d) the measures taken/being taken by the Government to encourage private sector participation in creating sports-related jobs? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS [DR MANSUKH MANDAVIYA]

(a): 'Sports’ being a State subject, the responsibility of development of sports rests primarily with the State/Union Territory Governments. The Union Government supplements the efforts of the States, by implementing various schemes for the promotion and Page 1 of 3development of sports across the country. The initiatives

undertaken by the Government include:

The Government of India provides reservation upto 5% of direct recruitment vacancies in Group ‘C’ and erstwhile Group ‘D’ for meritorious sportspersons as per ‘Sports Quota Policy’.

Reservation under sports quota is governed by the consolidated instructions issued by the Department of Personnel & Training (DoP&T) vide their OM No. 14034/01/2013-Estt.(D) dated 03.10.2013 (further consolidated vide OM dated

18.11.2022 and 04.03.2024).

Under the Khelo India Scheme, 992 Past Champion Athletes have been engaged in the Khelo India Centres (KICs) across the nation for coaching, receiving a fixed honorarium of ₹25,000 per month.

A total of 1524 posts are sanctioned for coaching cadre in Sports Authority of India (SAI). In Assistant Coach grade (Level-

6), out of 774 posts, 5% are reserved for Olympians and 1% for Paralympian at the entry cadre and in Coach grade (Level-10), out of 400 posts, 3% are reserved for Medal Winning Olympians and 2% are for medal winning Paralympians.

(b) and (c): Sports Diploma and certification courses are conducted through institutions under this Department like Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE), Gwalior; National Sports University (NSU), Imphal; Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports

(NSNIS), Patiala, and Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education (LNCPE) Thiruvananthapuram. Further, coaches are nominated for various sports specific certification courses conducted by various National and International Federations.

(d): Under the Khelo India Scheme, Private sector engagement is done through the accreditation of sports academies. There are a total of 364 Khelo India Accredited Academies across the nation.

Further, National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) has Page 2 of 3strengthened private sector engagement by mobilizing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) contributions from corporates and individuals through tax incentives, policy support, and formal partnerships with leading PSUs and private companies for sports infrastructure, athlete development, and high- performance centres.

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