Jobs for Khelo India athletes will give sporting talent a leg up, country more medals: Sports Minister

New Delhi, Mar 6: In a move that is sure to give sporting talent a leg up and the country more medals, Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting and Youth Affairs & Sports, Anurag Thakur, revealed on Wednesday that medal winners in all Khelo India competitions would henceforth be eligible for government jobs as per revised criteria.

In a post on his X handle, Thakur said the move was in keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "vision of a robust sports ecosystem, nurturing talent at the grassroots level and turning sports into a lucrative and viable career option" for the youth of India.

The minister announced that the Department of Personnel and Training, in consultation with the Sports Ministry, had made "progressive revisions to the eligibility criteria for sportspersons seeking government jobs."

"This groundbreaking step now extends eligibility to medal winners from the Khelo India Games --Youth, University, Para and Winter Games -- to be eligible for government jobs. Additionally, games and events have been clearly defined to ensure inclusivity across various sports,” he posted on X.

This move by the Centre is set to benefit Punjab and Haryana the most as they produce the maximum number of sportspersons in India.

These two states, which are at present reeling under farmers’ protest over the demands for a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price, also have the maximum number of Khelo India Athletes (KIAs).

This means that out of all the states in India, they are already getting the maximum benefit of the financial support of Rs.10,000 per month provided by the government to each KIA, as out of a total of 2,752 sportspersons receiving aid, 467 are from Haryana and 169 from Punjab.