Guarantee Every School Student Access to Sports, Equipment and Coaching

India cannot become a leading sporting nation by investing only after talented athletes have already emerged. Sporting ability must first have an opportunity to develop in schools.

Many students lack access to qualified coaching, adequate equipment, and usable sports facilities. Existing dedicated funding is limited. Under Samagra Shiksha, government schools can receive sports-equipment grants of up to ₹5,000 per year for primary schools, ₹10,000 for upper-primary schools and ₹25,000 for secondary and senior-secondary schools.

For example, a secondary school with 500 students receiving ₹25,000 has just ₹50 per student per year in dedicated sports-equipment funding.

Across all government schools, the approved Samagra Shiksha Sports Grant was ₹812.42 crore in 2023–24.

If India wants a much larger pool of athletes capable of eventually competing at national and international levels, investment must begin with giving millions of children the opportunity to play.

The government should establish a dedicated Sports Development Grant based on student numbers, rather than relying primarily on small fixed grants per school.

India We Deserve proposes an annual minimum of:

Primary (Classes 1–5): ₹500 per student
Upper Primary (Classes 6–8): ₹750 per student
Secondary & Senior Secondary (Classes 9–12): ₹1,000 per student

The funding should be dedicated to four essentials:

Coaching: Provide qualified coaches, including coaches shared between clusters of schools where this is more practical.

Equipment: Purchase, replace, and maintain age-appropriate sports equipment.

Facilities: Maintain existing facilities and provide access to nearby school, college, municipal or sports facilities where building separate infrastructure is unnecessary.

Participation: Fund regular training, local competitions, and inter-school sports so students actually have opportunities to play.

Major capital expenditure for building school sports infrastructure should remain separate and is addressed under India We Deserve’s broader school-infrastructure proposals.

What Would It Cost?

Government schools had approximately 5.71 crore primary students, 3.43 crore upper-primary students and 2.71 crore students in Classes 9–12 in 2024–25.

Applying the proposed funding levels would require approximately ₹8,100 crore annually:

Primary: ~₹2,850 crore
Upper Primary: ~₹2,570 crore
Secondary & Senior Secondary: ~₹2,710 crore

For perspective, the approved Samagra Shiksha Sports Grant across government schools was ₹812 crore in 2023–24. The proposed investment would therefore represent roughly a tenfold increase in dedicated grassroots school-sports funding, although the proposed grant would cover substantially more than the current equipment-focused grant.

India already has competitions, Khelo India centres, sports academies, and programmes for promising and elite athletes. The larger challenge is ensuring that enough children have the opportunity to develop before talent identification begins.

The objective should be to build the sporting pyramid from its base:
Millions of children play → Qualified coaches develop skills → Competition reveals talent → Promising athletes receive advanced training → Elite programmes develop international competitors

Government should therefore measure success not simply by stadiums constructed or medals won, but by how many children regularly play sports, have access to qualified coaching and have the equipment and facilities they need.

If India wants to compete at the international level, it must first invest in giving every child the opportunity to play.