CALLING it a “strategic roadmap” for India’s elevation into the top five of world sports, the Cabinet on Tuesday approved the Khelo Bharat Niti to create “world-class systems” of coaching and athlete support along with a robust administrative set-up to make the country a strong contender for the 2036 Olympics. Previously called the National Sports Policy and introduced for the first time in 1984, the Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 will supersede the 2001 policy. It is a “guiding document” to formulate plans and schemes for betterment of the country’s sporting ecosystem. “We have used the experience of the last 10 years and the new policy will work towards improvement of sports. Major objective is to make India a top-five sporting nation by 2047.

 

That’s the overall objective,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters while unveiling the policy and other Cabinet decisions. “The PM has given a different kind of emphasis to sports, especially in rural areas,” he said. “It’s a well thought through policy which addresses all matters related to sports. It also includes the framework for sports governance,” he added. India is bidding to host the 2036 Olympic Games for which there has been a massive push to create infrastructure and bring events of international stature to the country. A statement from the Press Information Bureau described the new policy as an outcome of “extensive consultations” involving Central Ministries, NITI Aayog, State Governments, National Sports Federations (NSFs), athletes, domain experts, and public stakeholders. It seeks to link sports with tourism and economic development. “So many people travel to watch an IPL, a football game.

 

So that boosts tourism and economic development,” Vaishnaw said. The document also seeks to align with the National Education Policy by making sports an integral part of school curriculum. It states that the objective is to equip educators and physical education teachers with specialised training to promote sports education.

 

Rs 1.07 lakh cr Employment Linked Incentive scheme approved THE Central Government approved an Employment Linked Incentive scheme with an outlay of Rs 1.07 lakh crore to create 3.5 crore jobs over the next two years through social security schemes run by the retirement fund body EPFO. The ELI scheme to support job generation, enhance employability and social security, with special focus on the manufacturing sector. The scheme aims to incentivise the creation of more than 3.5 crore jobs in the country over two years, an official statement said.

 

The scheme will provide incentives to employees as well as employers to boost job creation. Under the scheme, while the first-time employees will get one month’s wage (up to Rs 15,000), the employers will be given incentives for a period of two years for generating additional employment, with extended benefits for another two years for the manufacturing sector. The ELI scheme was announced in the Union Budget 2024-25 as part of the package of five schemes to facilitate employment, skilling and other opportunities for 4.1 crore youth with a total budget outlay of Rs 2 lakh crore. The ELI scheme aims to incentivise the creation of more than 3.5 crore jobs in the country over a period of 2 years, it stated. Out of these, 1.92 crore beneficiaries will be first timers, entering the workforce. The benefits of the scheme would be applicable to jobs created between August 1, 2025, and July 31, 2027. Rs 1 lakh cr to spur pvt investments in R&D THE Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the Research Development and Innovation Scheme with a corpus of Rs one lakh crore to spur private sector investment in research.

 

The scheme development and innovation in sunrise domains and in other sectors relevant for economic security, strategic purpose, and self-reliance. The scheme aims to provide long-term financing or refinancing with long tenors at low or nil interest rates to spur private sector investment in research, development and innovation, I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters. He said the scheme has been designed to overcome the constraints and challenges in funding of the private sector and seeks to provide growth and risk capital to sunrise and strategic sectors to facilitate innovation, promote adoption of technology and enhance competitiveness. The initiative will also finance transformative projects at higher technology readiness levels, support acquisition of technologies which are critical or of high strategic importance, and facilitate setting up of a deep-tech fund of funds. Vaishnaw said the governing board of Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), chaired by the Prime Minister, will provide overarching strategic direction to the RDI scheme.

 

The Executive Council of ANRF will approve the scheme’s guidelines, and recommend second level fund managers and scope and type of projects in sunrise sectors. An Empowered Group of Secretaries led by the Cabinet Secretary, will be responsible for approving scheme changes, sectors and types of projects as well as second-level fund managers besides reviewing the performance of the Scheme. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) will serve as the nodal department for implementation of the RDI scheme. The scheme will have a two-tiered funding mechanism. At the first level, there will be a special purpose fund (SPF) established within the ANRF, which will act as the custodian of funds. “From the SPF funds shall be allocated to a variety of second level fund managers. This will be mainly in the form of long-term concessional loans,” Vaishnaw said. The funding to R&D projects by the second level fund managers would normally be in the form of long-term loan at low or nil interest rates. Financing in the form of equity may also be done, especially in case of startups. Contribution to deep-tech fund of funds (FoF) or any other FoF meant for RDI may also be considered, he said. By addressing the critical need of the private sector for long-term, affordable financing, the RDI Scheme fosters self-reliance and global competitiveness, thereby facilitating a conducive innovation ecosystem for the country as it marches towards Viksit Bharat at 2047, Vaishnaw said.