Cabinet approves PM-Surya Sarovar Yojana, extends PM-Kisan for 5 years, clears revamped Khelo India scheme worth Rs 36,441 crore

The Union Cabinet on Friday approved three major schemes, one to expand India's floating solar capacity, another to extend income support for farmers, and a third to overhaul the country's sports development ecosystem, according to details shared in briefings on the decisions.

Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana

The Cabinet cleared the Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana (PM-SSY), aimed at scaling up floating solar photovoltaic (FSPV) capacity in the country. The scheme targets 5,000 MW of FSPV capacity over five years, more than seven times the roughly 700 MW installed today.


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The government will support projects at up to Rs 1 crore per MW, with a total outlay of Rs 5,070 crore. Projects under the scheme will be required to include a minimum of two-hour energy storage systems, adding up to 10,000 MWh of storage capacity, which officials said will help states manage peak demand. Projects will be awarded through tariff-based competitive bidding.

According to the government, the scheme is expected to abate around 10 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually and generate approximately 16,000 to 17,000 full-time equivalent employment opportunities.

It is also expected to promote domestic manufacturing of floatation systems and the wider project value chain, including anchoring, mooring and energy storage systems, supporting India's national energy and climate objectives.

PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi

The Cabinet also approved the continuation of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme from 2026-27 to 2030-31, with a total financial outlay of Rs 3.15 lakh crore for the period.

Launched in February 2019, PM-KISAN provides eligible landholding farmer families with financial assistance of Rs 6,000 per year, transferred directly into their bank accounts in three equal instalments through the Direct Benefit Transfer system.

The government said more than Rs 4.47 lakh crore has been transferred to farmers through 23 instalments so far, with the 23rd instalment alone benefiting over 9.49 crore farmers and releasing more than Rs 18,984 crore. Women farmers have received more than Rs 1.06 lakh crore under the scheme, with nearly one in four beneficiaries being a woman farmer.

Citing an evaluation by NITI Aayog's Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office, the government said more than 92 per cent of beneficiaries used the assistance for agricultural activities and investment, while around 85 per cent reported improved agricultural income and reduced dependence on informal credit. Between 2020-21 and 2025-26, the government said foodgrain production grew by about 21.18 per cent, with cultivated area up around 9.65 per cent and productivity up around 10.53 per cent.

Khelo India Scheme

The Cabinet approved a revamped Khelo India Scheme along with enhanced Assistance to National Sports Federations (ANSFs), with a combined outlay of Rs 36,441 crore for 2026-27 to 2030-31. The approved outlay is nearly eight times that of the previous Khelo India Scheme.

The revamped scheme aims to build a nationwide athlete development pathway from school-level sport to the Olympic podium, integrating sports with education, fitness, technology and high-performance training.

It is aligned with the Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 and the National Education Policy 2020, and is intended to support India's ambitions for the 2030 Commonwealth Games and a future Olympic and Paralympic bid.

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Key components include an integrated network of National Centres of Excellence, Khelo India Centres of Excellence, SAI Training Centres, accredited academies and Youth Sports Companies of the Armed Forces, along with two new school-level initiatives, Khelo India Feeder Schools and Khelo India Utkrishta Vidyalayas.

The scheme also introduces an Emerging Khelo India Athletes category, expected to expand the structured athlete development ecosystem nearly ten-fold, and creates a progression pathway linking grassroots competition to the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).

The government will also set up a National Coach Accreditation Board to standardise coaching qualifications, and a unified digital sports platform to integrate athlete data, infrastructure, competitions and funding.

The ANSF component will support Indian athletes and federations through funding for coaching, sports science, international exposure and competition participation, and will back sports cooperation with Global South countries.