To nurture such talent, the government initiated the Khelo India program. Mandaviya outlined that Khelo India is designed to provide young sportspersons with opportunities to excel. Through this initiative, identifying and nurturing sports talent is the key focus to produce world-class athletes in the future.
“To develop such talent, we initiated Khelo India. With the help of Khelo India, young sportspersons should get the opportunities to play. We will have to identify sports talent and provide them with the necessary facilities. These talented individuals, in the coming days, will become athletes like Swapnil Kusale,” Mandaviya added.
Shooter Swapnil Kusale, who won a bronze medal at the recent Paris Olympics, attended the event. Mandaviya highlighted Kusale’s achievement and the government’s efforts to identify and support talented athletes through the KIRTI (Khelo India Rising Talent Identification) project, which has identified over one lakh sportspersons.
“We undertook a project named KIRTI (Khelo India Rising Talent Identification), through which more than one lakh talented sportspersons have been identified. From this pool, further talented individuals were selected and provided with special assistance under Targeted Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS),” Mandaviya said.
Under the Targeted Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), selected athletes receive comprehensive support including training, nutrition, international exposure, and access to top coaches. This comprehensive support system aims to elevate their performance to reach podium finishes at international competitions.
“This time, India won six medals (in the Paris Olympics), but eight sportspersons secured fourth place. The athletes who secured fourth place will improve their performance and aim for a spot in the top three in the next Olympics. India won 29 medals in the Paralympics, up from 19 in the previous edition,” he said.
Mandaviya reiterated India’s aspiration to host the 2036 Olympics and highlighted the target to be in the top 10 in the medal tally.
“We aim to host the 2036 Olympics in India and we plan to be in the top 10 in the medals tally,” he said.
The ‘Viksit Bharat Ambassador – Yuva Connect’ initiative was launched in Pune. This initiative includes interactions with students across various Maharashtra colleges, guiding them on their role in achieving the goal of a developed India.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has carefully planned for a developed India. Youth-centric decisions have been taken in the budget to fulfil this target,” Mandaviya said.
Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs Raksha Khadse encouraged students to register on ‘My Bharat Portal’ to contribute to the vision of a developed India.
