Ministry releases draft National Sports Policy, seeks views by Oct 27

Mumbai: The ministry of youth affairs and sports (MYAS) has released the draft National Sports Policy (NSP) 2024 for public consultation, aiming to foster sustainable growth in India's sports ecosystem and drive national development.

NSP 2024 aspires to position India as a global sports powerhouse through collaboration between the government, sports federations, private sector and the public sector. The NSP aims to build upon the foundations laid by previous initiatives such as the NSP 2001, the Khelo India Scheme and the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).

The policy focuses on building a robust ecosystem that nurtures talent from grassroots to elite levels, expands access to sports infrastructure and promotes sports as a viable career.


NSP 2024 is based on five key pillars, which include targeting excellence on the global stage, economic and social growth, embedding sports in popular culture and integrating sports with educational policy.

To enable Indian athletes to excel internationally, the draft policy seeks to improve infrastructure, identify talent, and enhance competitiveness on the global stage. It also aims to use sports for economic development by fostering growth in tourism, manufacturing and sports technology sectors.

To drive social development through sports, the draft policy aims to promote inclusivity, health and education to strengthen social cohesion. It also seeks to make sports a people's movement by embedding it in community culture, making physical activity a cultural norm.

The draft policy calls for integrating sports with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, aligning it with education to foster holistic development, life skills, and academic and athletic excellence among youth.

The ministry has urged the stakeholders to send comments and suggestions by October 27.