Sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya has revised the Scheme of Assistance to NSFs on May 23, 2025. Photo: SAI Media/X
The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports has revised the Scheme of Assistance to NSFs as the last revision was in February 2022.
This revision follows the commencement of a new Olympic Cycle post-Paris Olympics 2024, meeting in mind India’s aspirations to host the 2036 Olympic Games and addressing challenges that come with it.
The revision considers increased costs due to inflation in training, infrastructure development, equipment procurement, and athlete welfare.
*Enhancements in Financial Assistance*
• Financial assistance for conduct of National Championships increased to:
o ₹90 lakh for High Priority sports
o ₹75 lakh for Priority sports
(Up from the previous limit of ₹51 lakh)
*Financial assistance for hosting International*
-Tournaments in India doubled to ₹2 crore.
• Salary Hikes for Coaches:
o Chief National Coach: from ₹5 lakh to ₹7.5 lakh per month
o Other Coaches: from ₹2 lakh to ₹3 lakh per month
• Diet Charges increased significantly:
o Senior athletes: from ₹690 to ₹1000 per day per athlete
o Junior athletes: from ₹480 to ₹850 per day per athlete
*Focus on Grassroots and Athlete Development*
• NSFs must earmark at least 20% of their annual budget for grassroots development, channeled through affiliate units for junior/youth development.
• NSFs of High Priority and Priority sports disciplines shall identify probable group of athletes in two categories of Senior Group and Junior Group with high performance potential.
• These athletes will be trained at accredited academies, selected by NSFs through a fair and transparent process.
• Each Probable Group athlete to receive ₹10,000 per month as dietary allowance during non-camp days, so that they are not deprived of proper diet.
*Coach Development and Capacity Building*
• At least 10% of Scheme funds will be allocated for:
o Coach and technical staff development
o Conduct of training courses in India
o Courses for Indian personnel abroad
o Development of coaching curriculum
o Conduct of Conferences, seminars, workshops
o Inviting Foreign/Indian experts for conduct of workshops/courses
• All NSFs to have a Coaching Education Expert dedicated for training of trainers
• Foreign Experts shall also mandatorily train and build capacity of local officials and coaches during non-training periods as part of Key Results Areas (KRAs).
Governance and High Performance Structure
• NSFs with an annual budget of ₹10 crore and above must mandatorily appoint a High Performance Director (HPD).
