AOB Rules: Sports Goods Manufacturing Now Allocated to the Sports Ministry

The Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961, have been amended to allocate sports goods manufacturing to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Department of Sports.

Prior to the notification, this subject was not specifically allocated to any other Department or Ministry. However, it is understood that the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) dealt with related policy matters. A few years back, DPIIT had also prepared a draft quality control order in respect of select sports goods (including steeplechase hurdles and putting shots), in consultation with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), in order to bring them under mandatory BIS certification.

The Indian sports goods sector, projected to grow from USD 4.88 billion in 2024 to USD 6.6 billion by 2027, employs over five lakh people, primarily in MSME clusters at Meerut, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Delhi-NCR. Given the considerable involvement of MSMEs, the Ministry of MSME has also played a role in providing support to industries in the sports goods sector.

Days after the amendment was notified, the first-ever sports goods manufacturing conclave was held in New Delhi. At this conclave, Union Sports Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya announced the formation of a task force comprising representatives from the Ministry, National Sports Federations and industry stakeholders to draft a dedicated sports goods manufacturing policy. He set an ambitious target of raising India’s share of global sports manufacturing from the current 1% to 25% by 2036.

These steps underscore the government’s intent to recognise sports goods manufacturing as a priority sector and unlock its potential, reinforcing India’s trajectory towards becoming a global sporting and economic powerhouse.