The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday approved the National Sports Policy (NSP) 2025, a comprehensive framework aimed at transforming India into a global sporting powerhouse and fostering holistic development through sports.
Replacing the two-decade-old National Sports Policy of 2001, the NSP 2025 presents a visionary roadmap aligned with India’s ambitions to excel at major international events, including the 2036 Olympic Games. The policy was formulated following extensive consultations with Central Ministries, NITI Aayog, State Governments, National Sports Federations, athletes, experts, and the public.
The policy rests on five key pillars: Excellence on the Global Stage, Sports for Economic Development, Sports for Social Development, Sports as a People’s Movement, and Integration with Education.
Under these pillars, NSP 2025 focuses on strengthening grassroots and elite-level sports, creating world-class infrastructure, building robust coaching systems, promoting sports science and medicine, and enhancing the capacity of sports federations. It also aims to boost the sports economy by encouraging tourism, manufacturing, startups, and private investment through PPPs and CSR.
The policy underscores inclusivity by supporting participation among women, underprivileged communities, and persons with disabilities, while also promoting traditional Indian games and integrating sports into the education system under NEP 2020.
To ensure effective implementation, the NSP 2025 introduces a strategic framework featuring robust governance, innovative funding models, advanced technology integration, and a national monitoring mechanism with clear KPIs. It will also serve as a model policy for states and UTs, advocating a whole-of-government approach to embed sports into all relevant sectors.
NSP 2025 represents a bold step toward making sports an integral part of India’s national development agenda.