Lok Sabha Question No. 3467 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-11
Subject: Monthly Stipend for the Athletes
Ministry: YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS
Asked by: Shri Manickam Tagore B, Shri Suresh Kumar Shetkar, Shri Vijayakumar Alias Vijay Vasanth

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS DEPARTMENT OF SPORTS

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3467 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.08.2025

Monthly Stipend for the Athletes

3467.

Shri Manickam Tagore B Shri Suresh Kumar Shetkar Shri Vijayakumar Alias Vijay Vasanth

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

(a) the details of the funding source of the total budget allocated for providing Rs. 50,000 monthly assistance to 3,000 athletes and whether it is part of any existing scheme or a new initiative for the forthcoming 2036 Olympic games;

- (b) the eligibility criteria for athletes selected to receive the Rs. 50,000 monthly stipend under the said scheme;
- (c) whether junior, senior, and para-athletes all are included under this scheme;
- (d) the manner  in which  the Government  ensure  that  financial assistance provided to athletes is used for training and development and whether there is any audit or monitoring mechanism in place;
- (e) the number of athletes receiving the monthly stipend, discipline-wise and  whether  any  cap  or  quota  for  the  specific  sports  and  if  so,  the details thereof;
- (f) the steps being taken by the Government to identify and support the talented athletes from rural, tribal and economically weaker sections; and
- (g)  whether  there  are  any  dedicated  scholarships  or  mentorship programmes for athletes from disadvantaged areas?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS [DR. MANSUKH MANDAVIYA]

- (a) The athletes under Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) in Core Group are eligible for monthly stipend of Rs. 50,000/- as Out of Pocket Allowance (OPA) and this scheme  is funded through the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF).
- (b) Athletes  are  inducted  under  TOPS  Core  category  when  they satisfy benchmark criteria which are decided by the Mission Olympic Cell and are derived from the performance of the medal winning athletes at  prominent  events  such  as  Olympic  Games,  Asian  Games,  World Championship etc., at International level.
- (c) All athletes inducted into TOPS Core category are eligible for the monthly stipend.
- (d) The monthly stipend is provided to cover the sports related ,day to day expenses of the athlete and no utilization certificate is sought for the  stipend.  Financial  assistance  under  TOPS  is  also  provided,  in addition to the monthly OPA, for requirements related to training and participation  in  international  competitions  for  which  the  athlete  is required to submit utilization certificate in respect of the expenditure incurred.
- (e) The monthly stipend is provided to the athlete as long as he / she is  covered  under  the  TOP  Scheme  and  there  is  no  cap  or  quota  for specific sports under TOPS Scheme. The number of athletes receiving the monthly stipend is as per Annexure - I & II
- (f) The  Ministry  of  Youth  Affairs  and  Sports  implements  various schemes to identify and support the athletes, including those from rural, tribal and economically weaker sections such as:
-  Khelo India - National Programme for Development of Sports;
- 
- Assistance to National Sports Federations;
-  National  Sports  Development  Fund  which  also  supports  TOP scheme ; and
-  Sports Authority of India related schemes.

Details are available in the public domain on the website of this Ministry and of  Sports Authority of India.

Further, Khelo India Programme  encourages children/youth rural/tribal areas and weaker sections through the following:

from

- a)  Khelo  India  Centres  (1057  Notified)  at  the  district  level  provide opportunity  to  be  trained  by  a  past  champion  athlete  and  aids preparation for participation in state/national level tournaments;
- b) Khelo India State Centre of Excellence (KISCE): Provides high quality coaching,  sports  science  manpower,  to  nurture  and  support  the athletes. Currently, 34 KISCEs are notified in 33 states/UTs;
- c)  Khelo  India  Talent  Identification  and  Development:  Athletes  are selected from various national championships, assessment camps etc. and  2808  such  KIAs  have  been  notified  and  are  being  trained  in Accredited academies notified for this purpose. Support per trainee per
4. annum is ₹ 6,28,400/-.
- d) Khelo India Games: Acts as platform for athletes, including athletes from rural, tribal and economically weaker sections and 19 Editions of Khelo India Games have been conducted with the participation of more than 56,000 athletes so far.
- e) Sports for Women: Khelo India Women's League are  conducted and a total of 1310 competitions have been organized for Women athletes in 29 disciplines with 138875 participants.
7. (f)  'Promotion  of  rural  and  indigenous/tribal  games',  sub  component under the 'Promotion of Inclusive through sports' component of Khelo India Scheme is specifically dedicated towards promotion of sports in rural and tribal areas.

Further,  Sports  Authority  of  India  is  operating  SAI  Training  Centre (STC), Extension Centre of STC, National Sports Talent Contest (NSTC) (its  Sub-Schemes  -  Regular  Schools,  IGMA  &  Akharas)  across  rural, tribal areas to identify talented sportspersons at grassroots levels. Athletes are provided regular training on Residential and NonResidential  basis  as  per  the  approved  norms  of  the  Schemes.  The details of SAI Centres in Rural, tribal and backward areas of the country are  at  Annexure-III.  In  addition  to  above,  Come  &  Play  scheme  is functional in various SAI Centres across the country for the benefit of local athletes. (g) The  Khelo  India  scheme  provides  comprehensive  support  to athletes, which includes scholarships, specialized training and coaching facilities, exposure to international competitions, and access to  world-class  training  facilities.  Under  this  scheme  ₹6.28  lakhs  per annum are given per Khelo India Athlete (which includes  ₹10,000 per month out-of-pocket allowance for each KIA). 2808 Khelo India Athletes are being provided with this support under Khelo India Scheme.

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## Annexure I

ANNEXURE REFERED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (E) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3467 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.08.2025 ASKED  BY  SHRI  MANICKAM  TAGORE  B  AND  OTHERS  REGARDING MONTHLY STIPEND FOR THE ATHLETES

|   Sl. No. | Sport Discipline   | No. of Athletes   |
|-----------|--------------------|-------------------|
|         1 | 10                 | Archery           |
|         2 | 3                  | Athletics         |
|         3 | 7                  | Badminton         |
|         4 | 2                  | Boxing            |
|         5 | 18                 | Shooting          |
|         6 | 2                  | Table Tennis      |
|         7 | 1                  | Weightlifting     |
|         8 | Wrestling          | 7                 |

## Annexure II

ANNEXURE REFERED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (E) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3467 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.08.2025 ASKED  BY  SHRI  MANICKAM  TAGORE  B  AND  OTHERS  REGARDING MONTHLY STIPEND FOR THE ATHLETES

|   Sl. No. | Sports              | No. of Athletes   |
|-----------|---------------------|-------------------|
|         1 | Para Archery        | 4                 |
|         2 | Para Athletics      | 25                |
|         3 | Para Badminton      | 14                |
|         4 | Para Canoe          | 1                 |
|         5 | Blind Judo 1        |                   |
|         6 | Para Powerlifting 1 |                   |
|         7 | Para Shooting       | 5                 |
|         8 | Para Table Tennis   | 1                 |

Annexure III

ANNEXURE REFERED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (F) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3467 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.08.2025 ASKED  BY  SHRI  MANICKAM  TAGORE  B  AND  OTHERS  REGARDING MONTHLY STIPEND FOR THE ATHLETES

## SAI CENTRES IN THE RURAL/ TRIBAL / BACKWARD AREAS OF THE COUNTRY

| Regions     | STC Centre Name                                 | State            | Tribal/ Rural/ Other backward areas   |
|-------------|-------------------------------------------------|------------------|---------------------------------------|
| Zirakpur    | Bilaspur                                        | Himachal Pradesh | Rural                                 |
| Zirakpur    | Badal                                           | Punjab           | Rural                                 |
| Zirakpur    | Mastunasahib                                    | Punjab           | Rural                                 |
|             | Kokrajhar                                       | Assam            | Tribal                                |
| Guwahati    | Solalgaon                                       | Assam            | Rural                                 |
| Imphal      | Utlou                                           | Manipur          | Rural                                 |
|             | Aizawl (Lunglei & Thenzawl)                     | Mizoram          | Tribal                                |
|             | Dimapur                                         | Nagaland         | Tribal                                |
| Kolkata     | Nicobar                                         | Andaman &Nicobar | Tribal                                |
| Kolkata     | Port Blair                                      | Andaman &Nicobar | Rural                                 |
| Kolkata     | Hazaribagh                                      | Jharkhand        | Rural                                 |
| Kolkata     | Sundargarh                                      | Odisha           | Rural                                 |
| Kolkata     | Lebong                                          | West Bengal      | Rural                                 |
| Lucknow     | Saifai                                          | Uttar Pradesh    | Rural                                 |
| LNCPE       | Androth                                         | Lakshadweep      | Tribal                                |
| LNCPE       | Mayiladuthurai                                  | Tamil Nadu       | Rural                                 |
|             | Extension Centres STCs                          | of               |                                       |
| Gandhinagar | LBS Govt. Degree College, Kotputli              | Rajasthan        | Rural                                 |
| Gandhinagar | Sri Kalyan Singh Rajkiya Sr.Sec. School, Jaipur | Rajasthan        | Rural                                 |
| Gandhinagar | Jawahar Navodaya Vidyala, Paota Jaipur          | Rajasthan        | Rural                                 |

| Regions     | STC Centre Name                                              | State            | Tribal/ Rural/ Other backward areas   |
|-------------|--------------------------------------------------------------|------------------|---------------------------------------|
| Chandigarh  | Govt. Sr.Sec. School, Dhawal, Mandi                          | Himachal Pradesh | Rural                                 |
| Lucknow     | Gurukul Archery Academy, Tikri, Meerut                       | Uttar Pradesh    | Rural                                 |
| Kolkata     | Ramakrishna Mission, Raygada                                 | Odisha           | Tribal                                |
| Guwahati    | Dakha Devi Rasiwasia College, Chabua Regular Schools of NSTC | Assam            | Rural                                 |
| Imphal      | Sainik School,Imphal                                         | Manipur          | Rural                                 |
| Gandhinagar | Sri Gurunanak Khalsa School, Shriganganagar                  | Rajasthan        | Rural                                 |
| Zirakpur    | International Fateh Academy, Jandiala, Guru, Amritsar        | Punjab           | Rural                                 |
| Imphal      | The Sofia English School,Wangmataba, Thoubal                 | Manipur          | Rural                                 |
| Imphal      | Panthoibi Thang -Ta & Jagoi Sindam Shanglen                  | Manipur          | Rural                                 |
| LNCPE       | Vyasa Vidya Peetham Kallekkad, Palakkad Distt.               | Kerala           | Rural                                 |
| LNCPE       | Sri Vivekananda Vidyalayam, Kandha Podikara, Ambur           | Tamilnadu        | Rural                                 |
| Guwahati    | Martial Authority of Assam Tengapara, Kokrajhar              | Assam            | Tribal                                |
|             | Adopted Akharas                                              |                  |                                       |
| Gandhinagar | Luv Kush Akhara, Bhilwara                                    | Rajasthan        | Rural                                 |

| Regions     | STC Centre Name                                   | State         | Tribal/ Rural/ Other backward areas   |
|-------------|---------------------------------------------------|---------------|---------------------------------------|
| Gandhinagar | Rajkiya Sardar Hr. Sec. School Kotputli           | Rajasthan     | Rural                                 |
| Gandhinagar | Rajkiya Balika Sec. School, Bansur, Alwar         | Rajasthan     | Rural                                 |
| Gandhinagar | Govt. Sr. Sec. School, Bansur                     | Rajasthan     | Rural                                 |
| Gandhinagar | Govt. Adarsh Sr. School, Gunta, Shahpur           | Rajasthan     | Rural                                 |
| Gandhinagar | Govt. Sr. Sec. School, Mardha, Kotputli           | Rajasthan     | Rural                                 |
| Gandhinagar | Govt. Sr. Sec. School, Sunderpur, Kotputli        | Rajasthan     | Rural                                 |
| Gandhinagar | Govt. Sr.Sec. School, Taskota, Kotputli           | Rajasthan     | Rural                                 |
| Lucknow     | Meghu Pehalwan Vyayamshala, Varanasi              | Uttar Pradesh | Rural                                 |
| Lucknow     | Satayanarayan Singh Khel Vikas Sansthan, Mirzapur | Uttar Pradesh | Rural                                 |
| Lucknow     | Bachan Singh, Muzaffarnagar                       | Uttar Pradesh | Rural                                 |
| Lucknow     | Arya Vyayamshala, Chhaproli, Baghpat              | Uttar Pradesh | Rural                                 |
| Guwahati    | Langhin Tinali Sports Asso., Langhin, Anglong     | Assam         | Rural                                 |
| Mumbai      | Jai Shivray Education Society, Kolhapur           | Maharashtra   | Rural                                 |
| Mumbai      | Jog Maharaj Vyayamshala, Pune.                    | Maharashtra   | Rural                                 |
| Mumbai      | Kishanveer Akhara, Bhuij, Satara                  | Maharashtra   | Rural                                 |

| Regions   | STC Centre Name                                         | State       | Tribal/ Rural/ Other backward areas   |
|-----------|---------------------------------------------------------|-------------|---------------------------------------|
| Mumbai    | MN Deshmukh Arts Science College, Ahemadnagar           | Maharashtra | Rural                                 |
| Mumbai    | L.T Rangnath Markad Krida & Yuvak Mandal, Pune          | Maharashtra | Rural                                 |
| Mumbai    | Veer Hanuman Kala Krida, Sangli                         | Maharashtra | Rural                                 |
| Mumbai    | Vishwatmak Jangli Maharaj Wrestling Centre, Ahamadnagar | Maharashtra | Rural                                 |
| Sonepat   | Bhumanand Akahara                                       | Delhi       | Rural                                 |
| Sonepat   | Arya Samaj Mandir                                       | Delhi       | Rural                                 |
| Sonepat   | Shahed Bhagat Singh AkharaMirchpur                      | Haryana     | Rural                                 |
| Sonepat   | Ch. Bharat Singh Akhara                                 | Haryana     | Rural                                 |
| Sonepat   | Lala Diwan Chand                                        | Haryana     | Rural                                 |
| Kolkata   | Gurukul Ashram, Amsena, Nuapada                         | Odisha      | Backward area                         |

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