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Published on:

December 27, 2024

Viraaj Vashishth

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Govt. Schemes

Khelo India Programme: Objectives and Verticals

The Khelo India Programme is a Government of India sponsored national program that focuses on revamping sports and popularizing it at the grassroots level in order to ensure holistic growth and development throughout the country. Within the years of its inception till date, the programme, which was launched in 2018, seeks to bolster the sporting environment, find and develop budding athletes and give all the basic amenities required to make India a sporting powerhouse in the world.

This article attempts to analyse the purposes under Khelo India Programme and its constituent verticals which strive to make a difference in the sports arena in a country by mobilizing youth through various means, creating avenues and enhancing the sports facilities respectively. The Khelo India Programme seeks to redress the imbalance between how much India’s populace excels in athletic exploits worldwide and how visible India is in these events by addressing both athlete development and sports infrastructure.

What is the Khelo India Programme?

The Khelo India Programme is an initiative, which is an outreach program that is the flagship program of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS). This program was initiated in order to reach out to the states and promote sports and fitness in every corner of the country. That’s why the main target of this project is to spot potential athletes and funding them starting from the grassroot level to national level. This approach combined with stimulating the development of sports facilities seeks to counterbalance the historic discrepancy of India in international sports.

When Did The Khelo India Programme Start?

The Indian government’s Khelo India Programme aims to strengthen the country’s sports ecosystem and was launched back in 2018. This programme mostly focuses on rural youth and students to take up sports and represent the country on bigger stages. This initiative is in line with the Government’s vision of promoting sports as a part of Indian education and lifestyle for the younger generation.

Purpose or Goals of the Khelo India Programme

The Khelo India Programme is ambitious and consists of many aims that seek to tackle various issues in the country’s sporting landscape. These goals aim at supporting the establishment of a comprehensive and viable structure for sports growth in India.

Increase Sports and Fitness Activities

1. The Khelo India Programme advocates and guides the masses towards physical fitness and active lifestyle by encouraging children and young people across the nation to take part in various sport activities.

2. The program focuses on school, college and community children and youths so as to further develop the fitness culture of the nation.

Identifying and Supporting Talent

1. A target is to find gifted athletes at a younger age and give them the right resources and training so that they do well.

2. The programme also finds promising athletes through regional competitions and sponsors and coaches them to achieve their best.

Building the Facilities for Sports

1. The programme also emphasizes on the development and improvement of sports infrastructure, including construction of sports complexes, training institutions, and stadiums throughout the country.

2. There is also an emphasis on developing the infrastructure in schools and colleges so as to provide an opportunity for every child to access good sports facilities.

Power of Sports among Youth

1. Youth are empowered through Sports as it develops great indicators of character such as discipline, teamwork, leadership qualities and hard work.

2. Khelo India provides children with opportunities to excel in sports, training, management and other related fields.

Equity and Equality

1. The programme aims at ensuring that sports are made available to everyone including women, those with low incomes and the disabled.

2. There are specific provisions for girls, marginalized and disabled individuals so as to enhance their participation in sports.

Key Verticals of the Khelo India Programme

The Khelo India Programme is a composite of disparate verticals that address different areas of sports development in the country. These verticals work together to ensure that the mission of establishing a sporting ethos that is effective and long lasting in nature is achieved in all its facets.

How Many Sports Disciplines Are There in Khelo India Games?

Khelo India Games comprises innumerable sporting disciplines with an aim of helping children and youth engage in a number of different forms of games and activities. In the most recent edition of the Khelo India Games, 27 sporting disciplines were added, which included athletics, gymnastics, badminton, and wrestling, to name a few.

What Are the 12 Verticals of Khelo India?

The twelve verticals of Khelo India include:

1. Khelo India School Games (KISG)

The Khelo India School Games is a competition intended to enable students from all over India to participate in athletic events. The competition is critical in the process of developing new athletes since it allows students from all over the country to come together and compete on varying bases.

2. Khelo India University Games (KIUG)

Khelo India University Games provides a platform for university students allowing them to compete on a national level. This vertical aids in the transition of youth sports into professional sports allowing the university’s sporting talent to get exposure to the public..

3. Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG)

Khelo India Youth Games is aimed at the young athletes between the ages of 8 and 18. These games foster a large participation base, thereby enhancing the level of competition on both regional as well as national stages. They serve as the nursery of champions of tomorrow.

4. Khelo India Talent Search Scheme

This vertical seeks out gifted individuals across India and provides them with scholarship, money, and instructional protection. It forms the bedrock on which effective athletes who specialize in certain sporting events are built from the ground up at their tender age.

5. Khelo India Centres of Excellence (CoE)

Khelo India Centres of Excellence are cutting edge training centers located in strategic regions to help with proper coaching and equipment. Such centers are geared towards high-level training of athletes and are quite instrumental in the production of world-class athletes for international competitions.

6. Sports for Peace and Development

Using a developmental approach, the Sports for Peace and Development promotes social change and development of communities through sport. It centers around peace-building, conflict resolution and national integration, especially in the areas of the country that are conflict prone.

7. Khelo India Mobile Application

Khelo India App provides independence to players and coaches in order to track their performance, sign up for competitions and avail coach resources. It also provides a virtual platform for young talents to be recruited and tracked.

8. Khelo India National Talent Search Portal

In this way, online portals make it easier for a region’s athletes to be registered and trained. These portals also give the athletes’ various regions an opportunity to win out – regardless of whether they are Chosen for scholarships and selection by the coaches.

9. Khelo India Fitness Assessment Programme

This vertical deals with carrying out fitness testing at a school level for determining some basic physical requirements such as endurance, strength and agility. Through these measurements, children who are likely to be strong in sports can be picked out early.

10. Grassroots Development Programme

The Grassroots Development Programme is aimed at increasing sport participation in rural and underdeveloped areas while making sure no child is left out of sporting opportunities due to their geographical location.

11. Khelo India Campaign on Participation and Health Benefits

This is how Khelo India campaigns across various media to stimulate interest and participation in sports while promoting health concepts and the Khelo India Programme's opportunities.

12. Enhancement Of Sports Facilities And Human Resource Development

This vertical deals with the development of sports facilities at state and district levels and also enhancement of the quality of the coaches, referees and sports administration personnel.

Conclusion

The Khelo India programme, therefore, is a blessing, trying to fix so many problems at once right from recognizing talent to creating the necessary framework to get the best out of the youth. It’s about providing them with a platform, it’s about giving them improved facilities and most importantly it’s about empowering communities which in a larger scheme of things places the programme to be the backbone of India’s sporting future. Khelo India on the other hand, is designed in such a manner that no young sportsperson misses out on playing sports regardless of their background. This vision walks hand in hand with India’s future dreams – to be a competitive force in the world of sports.

FAQs

1. How many sports events do Khelo India Games have?

Khelo India Games include 27 sports events of athletics, badminton, wrestling among others which deal with sports events.

2. What are the 12 verticals of Khelo India?

Twelve domains which Khelo India comprises are school games, search for talents, fitness assessment and grassroots development among others.

3. How does the Khelo India Programme identify talent?

With Khelo India Programme in reaching out to the larger masses competitions such as Khelo India youth games and talent identification scheme are organized.