'Khelega India!': Sports, fitness may soon be part of skills training

New Delhi: "Khelega India" could soon echo not just in stadiums and school playgrounds but also in classrooms and shop floors across India's skill training hubs, as the government is drawing up a plan to stitch sports and fitness into the skilling ecosystem, allowing young trainees to build physical resilience and a second source of income alongside their core vocational skills, said officials.

The proposal flows from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Khelega India, Khilega India" (India will play, India will bloom) vision, which places fitness, discipline and sporting culture at the centre of youth development, they said.

"This is being looked at as a life skill first-something that keeps students fit and confident-and then as an income opportunity," said a senior government official, adding that skill development and entrepreneurship ministry will conduct wide-ranging stakeholder consultations, including with the youth affairs and sports ministry, before any rollout.

Among the proposals being considered is mandatory training in yoga and self-defence for students and trainers enrolling at 36 National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs) and nearly 1,000 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), with a National Skills Qualification Framework certification for successful candidates, enabling them to work as certified yoga or self-defence trainers.

"This will have a multifarious impact," the skill development and entrepreneurship ministry said in an ideation note, a copy of which was seen by ET.

Over time, the certification could help students monetise these skills through coaching or community-based training, it said.

In the next phase, the government plans to use vacant land on NSTI and ITI campuses to develop sports infrastructure tailored to local strengths. Plans include athletics tracks, badminton and tennis courts, boxing arenas and wrestling pits.

The sporting mix could vary by geography. For example, Haryana could double down on wrestling, Uttar Pradesh on boxing and athletics, while institutes in southern states could focus on badminton.