For decades, India’s sporting aspirations have languished, curtailed by systemic neglect and a chronic lack of strategic vision. Individual triumphs punctuated the narrative, yes, but a consistent, formidable presence on the global sporting stage remained stubbornly elusive.

Enter Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Khelo India initiative, launched in 2018 with a vision to transform India into a sporting superpower.

The vision is clear: nurture talent from the ground up, build world-class facilities, and create a culture where sports isn’t a luxury but a way of life.

The stark reality is that Indian sport, beyond the omnipresent cricket, has long been starved of essential resources. Crumbling infrastructure, inadequate funding, and a palpable lack of governmental prioritisation have been the entrenched norms. Khelo India, in theory, seeks to dismantle this debilitating paradigm. The ambition is audacious: to unearth and cultivate talent from the most remote corners of the nation, not just the privileged enclaves of urban elites. To achieve this, a significant financial commitment is ostensibly being made. Sports expenditure has purportedly tripled since 2014, reaching a substantial Rs 2,500 crore in 2024, a stark contrast to the paltry Rs 800 crore a decade prior. A considerable portion, a designated Rs 1,000 crore, is channelled directly into the Khelo India campaign.

Talent needs a stage to shine, and Khelo India is delivering – big time. The programme has approved........

© News18