**Executive Summary**
This report details the Ministry of Tourism's initiatives for water sports infrastructure development and safety regulation in India as of March 2026. It highlights the role of the National Institute of Water Sports (NIWS-IITTM) in capacity building, provides an overview of the 2025 Khelo India Water Sports Festival, and outlines the criteria for state-level infrastructure funding. Currently, no formal proposals for water sports infrastructure are pending for Coastal Karnataka or the Dakshin Kannada district.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Nodal Authority and Capacity Building**
* The National Institute of Water Sports (NIWS-IITTM) serves as the nodal government institution for training, certification, and capacity building.
* The institute conducts specialized courses in scuba diving, surfing, parasailing, canoeing, and other water-based activities.
* States including Gujarat, Odisha, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands have engaged NIWS-IITTM to establish satellite centers for safe water tourism.
**Infrastructure Funding and Schemes**
* Financial assistance for sports infrastructure is provided through the Khelo India Scheme (KIS) and National Sports Development Funds (NSDF).
* Sanctioned projects include synthetic tracks, hockey fields, and swimming pools; specifically, one swimming pool project has been sanctioned in Karnataka.
* Approval for new proposals depends on technical feasibility, risk assessments, carrying capacity analysis, and fund availability.
**Khelo India Water Sports Festival (KIWSF) 2025**
* The inaugural festival was held in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, from August 21st to 23rd, 2025.
* The event featured 409 athletes across two competitive disciplines (Kayaking & Canoeing, Rowing) and three demo sports (Water Skiing, Shikara Race, Dragon Boat).
* Madhya Pradesh topped the medal tally with 18 medals, followed by Odisha (10) and Kerala (7).
**Safety Standards and Enforcement**
* NIWS-IITTM has developed comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and safety guidelines adopted by several States/UTs.
* Enforcement of safety regulations is the responsibility of State/UT Governments.
* Specific enforcement mechanisms include the Tourist Police (Goa), Tourist Safety Enforcement Team (Andaman & Nicobar Islands), and Adventure Tourism Committees (Gujarat and Odisha).
**Utilization of National Waterways**
* While 111 National Waterways have been declared, the Ministry of Tourism has no current formal proposal to explore all of them for sports.
* Several waterways, including the Ganga, Godavari, and Kaveri, are already utilized by State Governments for water sports activities.
**Impact Analysis**
**State and UT Governments**
**Impact**
States are responsible for the utilization of national waterways and the enforcement of safety protocols within their jurisdictions. They are the primary recipients of financial assistance for infrastructure development.
**Action Required**
States must submit comprehensive proposals—including technical feasibility and risk assessments—to the Ministry to secure funding. They must also conduct periodic inspections and audits through specialized enforcement teams to ensure safety compliance.
**National Institute of Water Sports (NIWS-IITTM)**
**Impact**
As the nodal body, it is the central authority for setting safety standards and providing technical support to regional satellite centers.
**Action Required**
The institute must continue providing training and certification while assisting States/UTs in incorporating safety SOPs into their local tourism policies.
**Athletes and Sporting Bodies**
**Impact**
These stakeholders benefit from the expansion of infrastructure and the establishment of national-level competitive platforms like the KIWSF.
**Action Required**
Athletes and volunteers are encouraged to participate in sanctioned events to enhance the reach and popularity of water sports across the country.
Key Entities Referenced
National Institute of Water Sports (NIWS–IITTM): The nodal government institution responsible for training, certification, and capacity building in water sports and supporting safe water-based tourism.
Khelo India Scheme (KIS): A national program providing financial assistance for the creation and up-gradation of sports infrastructure, including swimming pools and water sports facilities.
National Sports Development Funds (NSDF): A primary funding mechanism used to provide financial support for developing athletic tracks, hockey fields, and other sports infrastructure across India.
Ministry of Tourism: The central government body overseeing the development of water sports infrastructure and the exploration of National Waterways for tourism.
Khelo India Water Sports Festival (KIWSF): A promotional initiative and competitive event launched to enhance the reach and popularity of disciplines like Kayaking, Canoeing, and Rowing.
Ministry of Tourism
DEVELOPMENT OF WATER SPORTS
INFRASTRUCTURE
Posted On: 30 MAR 2026 1:58PM by PIB Delhi
The Ministry of Tourism through its autonomous institute “National Institute of Water Sports (NIWS–
IITTM)” conducts courses related to scuba diving, diving, surfing, parasailing, canoeing and other water
sports. NIWS-IITTM is the nodal Government institution for training, certification and capacity building
in water sports in India.
At present, no formal proposal is with the Ministry of Tourism for development of water sports
infrastructure in Coastal Karnataka. However, some States/UTs such as Andaman & Nicobar Islands,
Gujarat and Odisha have approached NIWS–IITTM for establishment of satellite centres to support
capacity building and safe water-based tourism.
Further, under the "Creation and Up-gradation of Sports Infrastructure" component of the Khelo India
Scheme (KIS) and National Sports Development Funds (NSDF), financial assistance has been provided
for development of sports infrastructure such as synthetic athletic track, synthetic hockey field, synthetic
turf football ground, multipurpose hall, swimming pool etc. Projects have been sanctioned across the
country including 01 project of Swimming Pool in the State of Karnataka. The details of the sports
infrastructure projects approved and their sanctioned cost, funds released and their physical and financial
progress, under the KIS and NSDF, across the country including in the State of Karnataka are available in
public domain on the dashboards of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports at https://mdsd.kheloindia.gov.
in and at http://www.nsdf.yas.gov.in/nsdf-glance.html, respectively.
At present, no formal proposal is with the Ministry of Tourism for development of water sports
infrastructure at Dakshin Kannada district.
First edition of the Khelo India Water Sports Festival was held from 21st August to 23rd August 2025 in
Srinagar, UT of Jammu and Kashmir to promote Water Sports and to enhance the reach and popularity of
Water Sports.
The Games were conducted in 2 competitive sports and 3 Demo Sports with the participation of 409
Athletes, 82 Support Staff, 65 Technical Officials, 55 Sports Specific Volunteers, 2 Competition Managers
etc.
The key features of the Khelo India Water Sports Festival (KIWSF) 2025 are as follows:
Sports Discipline:
• Competitive: Kayaking & Canoeing, Rowing (2 Sports)
• Demo: Water Skiing, Shikara Race & Dragon Boat (3 Sports)
Age Category: Open Age Category. Top three States in the Medal Tally: -State Gold Silver Bronze Total
Madhya Pradesh 10 3 5 18
Odisha 4 5 1 10
Kerala 3 1 3 7
At present, no formal proposal is with the Ministry of Tourism for exploring 111 declared National
Waterways for water sports. However, several National Waterways are already being utilized for water
sports activities by respective State Governments. These include, inter alia: Ganga (Uttar Pradesh,
Uttarakhand), Sutlej (Himachal Pradesh), Indus (Ladakh), Chenab, Godavari, Kaveri, Krishna, Mahanadi,
Narmada, Sabarmati, Netravati, Sharavati, Tungabhadra, Mandovi, Chapora, Ghataprabha, Ravi and canal
systems in Kerala.
The details are as under:
Safety Standards and Guidelines: NIWS–IITTM has developed comprehensive safety standards and
SOPs for various water sports activities. These have been adopted/incorporated by several
States/UTs in their respective water sports and adventure tourism policies. Technical support has
been provided to States/UTs such as Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Goa, Gujarat, Odisha and
Puducherry.
Enforcement Mechanism: Enforcement of safety regulations rests with the respective State/UT
Governments. These include Tourist Police in Goa, Tourist Safety Enforcement Team (TSET) in
Andaman & Nicobar Islands, State and District-level Adventure Tourism Committees in Gujarat and
Odisha.
Compliance Status: Compliance is monitored by State/UT authorities through periodic inspections,
audits and enforcement teams as per their respective guidelines.
The proposals received from the State/UT Governments and other eligible entities are considered for
financial support, subject to their completeness, technical feasibility, risk assessments and carrying
capacity analysis for coastal areas, rivers, reservoirs and lakes and availability of funds under the Scheme.
This information was given by Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in
a written reply in Lok Sabha today
***
M Annadurai
(Release ID: 2246823) Visitor Counter : 152
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