Parliament Question: Sports Manufacturing & Athlete Development Initiatives

Government of India Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports Department of Sports LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5776 TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026 Sports Manufacturing & Athlete Development Initiatives 5776. SHRI P P CHAUDHARY: SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB: SHRI DAMODAR AGRAWAL: SMT. KAMALJEET SEHRAWAT: SHRI MANISH JAISWAL: SHRI PRADEEP KUMAR SINGH: SHRI PRAVEEN PATEL: SHRI SUNIL KUMAR: DR. HEMANT VISHNU SAVARA: SHRI CHAVDA VINOD LAKHAMSHI: SHRI BIBHU PRASAD TARAI: SMT. SMITA UDAY WAGH: SHRI NABA CHARAN MAJHI: SHRI CHANDRA PRAKASH JOSHI: SMT. MALVIKA DEVI: Will the Minister of YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has successfully operationalised the initiative for providing Rs. 500 crore to boost the manufacturing of sports goods in the country, along with the key components and objectives of the programme; (b) if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise including Rajasthan, particularly Pali Lok Sabha Constituency along with investment support, research collaboration and infrastructure development for indigenous sports equipment manufacturing; (c) the manner in which dedicated research in material sciences under the said initiative is assisting in the production of affordable, Page 1 of 3high-quality indigenous sports equipment such as hockey sticks and other sporting gear; (d) the specific achievement made under the Augmenting of Study Materials in Indian Languages through Translation and Academic Writing (ASMITA) initiative in promoting gender neutrality in competitive sports education and training resources during the year 2025-26; and (e) the manner in which the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) has successfully supported the training of Indian athletes preparing to compete at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF YOUTH AFFAIRS & SPORTS [DR. MANSUKH MANDAVIYA] (a) to (c) Promotion of Sports Goods Manufacturing aims at developing a robust and globally competitive sports manufacturing ecosystem in the country. An allocation of ₹500 crore has been earmarked for this purpose in the Union Budget. The scheme seeks to promote innovation, strengthen domestic manufacturing capabilities, and enhance the global competitiveness of Indian sports goods. The scheme will be finalized after consultations with various stakeholders to ensure a comprehensive and effective framework for the sector. (d) Under Khelo India Scheme, 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”. Under this initiative, various Khelo India Women’s League – are being conducted. As on date, 2407 ASMITA leagues have been organised in more than 34 sports disciplines across the country, which has seen participation from 280142 women athletes. This initiative has significantly increased women participation in sports across the nation and has provided ample opportunities to women athletes to compete, learn and grow in all age groups. Page 2 of 3(e) At present, TOP Scheme does not cover support for athletes participating in the Winter Olympics. ***** Page 3 of 3