Draft Sports Policy Issued for Public Consultation

To modernize and update the current framework in line with the country’s evolving sports landscape, the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports released the draft National Sports Policy (NSP) for public consultation. The policy envisages ‘Nation Building through the Power of Sports with focus on excellence on the global stage, sports for economic development, sports for social development and making sport a people’s movement.’ The policy aims to elevate India to the status of a global sporting powerhouse.

The extant NSP was issued in 2001. With a favourable demographic dividend and conducive economic environment, there is huge potential for leveraging sports for national development. The policy outlines initiatives ranging from sports awareness, sports infrastructure, and talent leveraging to sports inclusion, tourism, and an economic boost to the sports manufacturing and service sector.

Further, a National Fitness Ranking and indexing system is sought to be implemented to incentivize educational institutions and workplaces to excel in their sports and physical education programs and encourage mass participation in sports activities.

On the sidelines of the policy announcement, the ministry also announced the creation of a dedicated portal that will contain information on sports recruitment across central ministries. States will be encouraged to use this platform to advertise sports quota vacancies, improving accessibility and transparency in recruitment.