Lok Sabha Question No. 1356 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-28
Subject: Scheme for Enhancing Talent among Tribal Youth
Ministry: YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS
Asked by: Shri Virendra Singh

## Government of India

## Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1356 TO BE ANSWERED ON 28.07.2025

Scheme for Enhancing Talent among Tribal Youth

†1356. Shri Virendra Singh:

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

(a) whether the Government has any plan to develop the talent of the youth of tribal/forest areas of the country and get it recognised at the national level;

- (b)  whether  it  is  a  fact  that  there  is  no  dearth  of  talent  among  the children of tribal areas across the country  but due to lack of facilities they are not able to participate in national sports competitions;
- (c) if so, whether the Government has any plan to set up sports training centers in tribal  dominated districts;

(d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;

- (e) whether there is no sports ground/stadium for sports like archery, football,  kabaddi etc.  in  the  tribal  area  of  Chandauli  district  of  Uttar Pradesh despite the availability of land;
- (f) if so, whether the Government has any plan in this regard alongwith the funds being allocated for the said purpose; and
- (g) if not, the reasons therefor?

ANSWER THE MINISTER OF YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS (DR. MANSUKH MANDAVIYA)

(a) to (d) The Government has several plans and schemes to develop the talent of youth from tribal and forest areas and to ensure that their skills and  potential  are  recognized  at  the  national  level.  These  efforts  are carried out by various Ministries and Departments.

For  instance,  Ministry  of  Tribal  Affairs  is  implementing  the  Central Sector  Scheme  of  Eklavya  Model  Residential  School  (EMRS)  for providing quality education to tribal students, both boys and girls, in their  own  environment.  The  EMRSs  are  to  be  at  par  with  Navodaya Vidyalayas with special facilities for preserving local art and culture besides providing training in sports and skill development. Construction of an EMRS requires provision of 15 acres land and has a capacity to accommodate 480 students including equal number of boys and girls studying in class VI to XII. As on date, 728 schools have been approved, out of which 479 EMRSs have been reported to be functional across the country.  National  Education  Society  for  Tribal  Students  (NESTS),  an autonomous  organization, has been established to  manage  and implement  the  scheme  of  EMRS  in  co-ordination  with  State  EMRS Societies.

EMRS  schools prioritize all-round development of students and therefore various activities such as adventure sports, cultural programs,  sports  competitions,  excursions,  and  exchange  programs between  different  EMRS  schools  are  regularly  organized.  There  are various activities have been introduced in EMRSs to promote the sports activities in EMRSs such as:-

1. Development  of  infrastructure  facilities  for  both  indoor  and outdoor sports and sports training to nurture athletic talent.
2. Encouragement and support for students to participate in national and international sports events.
3. Every year, Ministry organizes cultural meet and sports meet for EMRS  students  to  encourage  them  in  extra-curricular  activities  by providing them national level exposure to exhibit their talents.

Further, Sports is a state subject and promotion of sports in a state is the  responsibility  of  the  respective  State  Governments.  However,  to support the efforts of State Governments, Sports Authority of India (SAI)

under Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports is implementing the following Sports Promotional Schemes across the country including tribal youth to  identify  talented  sportspersons at grassroots levels in the various age  groups  and  nurture  them  to  excel  at  national  and  international levels:

- National Centres of Excellence (NCOE)
- SAI Training Centre (STC)
- Extension Centre of STC
- National Sports Talent Contest (NSTC) (its Sub-Schemes - Regular Schools, IGMA & Akharas)

The  sportspersons  identified  under  SAI  Sports  Promotional  Schemes belong to all sections of society including the rural, tribal and backward areas  of  the  country  and  are  provided  with  regular  training  on Residential and Non-Residential basis as per the approved norms of the Schemes. The details of centres in tribal/forest areas are as under:

| Regional Centre   | Centre Name(s)   | State             |
|-------------------|------------------|-------------------|
| Guwahati          | Kokrajhar        | Assam             |
| Imphal            | Aizawl           | Mizoram           |
|                   | Dimapur          | Nagaland          |
| Kolkata           | Nicobar          | Andaman & Nicobar |
| LNCPE             | Androth          | Lakshadweep       |

The  selected  athletes  are  provided  financial  support  in  the  form  of expert  coaches,  sports  equipment,  Scientific  support,  boarding  and lodging, sports kit,  competition exposure,  educational  expenses, medical/ insurance and stipend as per the approved scheme norms.

In  addition  to  above,  the  sports  infrastructure  of  SAI  is  also  being utilized  by  local  and  grassroots  level  athletes.  Under  SAI  Sports Promotional Schemes, athletes are not classified on the basis of caste, creed,  community  etc.  Selected  athletes  are  provided  with  modern sports equipment for advanced training. Regular training under supervision of expert coaches and support staff is imparted to athletes aimed at achieving competitive excellence.

Further, the Khelo India Scheme  has  twin objectives of  mass participation and promotion of excellence in sports. Various initiatives have been launched under this scheme to promote sports and develop the talent in tribal/forest areas of the country. Component wise details are as follows:

1. Khelo India Talent Identification and Development: 2808 athletes in 21 sports disciplines (including Para sports) have been notified.  A total of 306 academies have been accredited for the training of the Khelo India athletes (KIAs). Support per trainee per annum under the norms for the funding of residential Khelo India Athlete (KIA) under accredited sports academies is ₹ 6,28,400/-.
2. 19 Editions of Khelo India Games have been conducted so far with the participation of more than 56000 athletes those including from NCT of Delhi also. which act as platform for athletes, including athletes from both urban and rural areas.
2. Khelo India Centres and Sports Academies:
- a)  Khelo  India  Centre  (KIC):  KICs  are  set  up  with  an  objective  of facilitating training for willing children, providing livelihood opportunities  to  Past  Champion  Athletes  (PCAs)  as  coaches  and  to augment the utilization of existing infrastructure. As on date, a total of 1057 KICs across the country have been notified till date across 36 States/UTs, out of which 966 KICs are currently operational and training 28,110 athletes.
- b) KISCE (Khelo India Centre of Excellence): 34 KISCE in 33 states with manpower  420  sanctioned  filling  critical  gaps  in  manpower,  sports equipment and sports science equipment, facilitating training of 2244 athletes across the country.
3. Inclusiveness in Sports: This component focuses on making sports accessible to all, especially promoting sports for women, persons with disabilities, marginalized communities, and supporting rural/indigenous games.
7. (i) Sports for women: Khelo India Women League was started in 2021 to offer opportunities to women for participating & excelling in sporting

activities.  It  was  renamed  as  ASMITA  League  which  Stands  for 'Achieving Sports Milestone by Inspiring Women Through Action'. As on date  women  leagues  have  been  organized  in  29  sports  disciplines across the country. Total 1310 competitions have been organized for Women athletes with 138875 participants.

Also, under the Khelo India Scheme, Khelo India Centres are set up with an  objective  of  facilitating  training  for  willing  children,  providing livelihood opportunities to Past Champion Athletes (PCAs) as coaches and  to  augment  the  utilization  of  existing  infrastructure  across  the country including tribal dominated districts.

The details can be found in the following URL: https://dashboard.kheloindia.gov.in.

(e) to (g)  SAI creates/upgrades infrastructure in its SAI Centres only. The is no SAI Centre operational in Chandauli district of Uttar Pradesh at present. Further, 01 Khelo India Centre in Chandauli district of Uttar Pradesh in Wrestling discipline have been notified.

| District   | Name of KIC                                                | Discipline   |   Male |   Female |   Total |
|------------|------------------------------------------------------------|--------------|--------|----------|---------|
| Chandauli  | Shri Krishan Gymnasium Seve Trust, Karwat Dandi, Chandauli | Wrestling    |     15 |       15 |      30 |

The  proposals  for  creation  and  up-gradation  of  sports  infrastructure received from the State/UT Governments and other eligible entities are considered for financial support, subject to their  completeness, technical feasibility and availability of funds under the Scheme.

As of now, under the component 'Creation and Up-gradation of Sports Infrastructure'  of  the  Khelo  India  Scheme,  328  sports  infrastructure projects have been sanctioned across the country, including 31 in the State of Uttar Pradesh. Details are available at https://mdsd.kheloindia.gov.in/.