Gujarat gets more Khelo India funds than all south states together | LME 77

India wants to be a sporting powerhouse.

And the Union government’s flagship Khelo India scheme is supposed to help make that happen.

Seven years and thousands of crores later, the numbers raise a serious question.

Since the scheme started, the Modi government has given over 3,400 crore to states for sports infrastructure.

Now, here's where things get interesting — or concerning.

Gujarat received over 606 crore rupees for just five projects. Uttar Pradesh got 500 crore rupees for 30 projects. 

Tamil Nadu? Just 29.5 crore rupees since 2017— that’s less than 1% of total funds.

Out of the 29 athletes who represented India in track and field at the Paris Olympics last year, six were from Tamil Nadu — the highest from any state.

In fact, Gujarat has received more funds than all of the southern states put together

Meanwhile, some of India’s top sporting states, governed by parties other than BJP, received a fraction of Gujarat or UP.

So what’s really going on?

Let me explain

Before I get to the numbers, here’s something I want you to think about.

All of us want India to grow as a sporting nation. But it cannot happen overnight. When governments make decisions that affect the future of our athletes, most of it happens behind closed doors. And a lot of things decided are arbitrary. And that’s the problem. Because this is about our talent and our collective pride on the world stage.

Which is why we decided to take time and to dig into the data.  Ask the uncomfortable questions– like why states that produce Olympians get sidelined while others get the lion’s share of sports funding.

Our journalism joins the dots, demands accountability, and stands by the athlete at the grassroots. Our journalism is all about standing by you, but I need you to stand by us. So don't let us down. And become a TNM subscriber. 

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Political leaders have been raising red flags about serious funding disparities with Khelo India for a while now.

Trinamool MP and former cricketer Kirti Azad…Pargat Singh — former Indian Hockey captain…Tamil Nadu Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin…and now a Congress MLA —, have all called this out bluntly. 

They have pointed out the biased distribution with data. And questioned the NDA government on its alleged discrimination against states.

But the chorus has gotten louder recently — not just from politicians, but from athletes, coaches, and regional sports communities too. The trigger? Just look at these numbers.

Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh have together received nearly one-third of the Khelo India budget.

Gujarat sent three athletes to the Paris Olympics. Uttar Pradesh sent seven. Athletes from neither state won a medal.

Of course, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t get funding. Every state deserves support to grow its sporting ecosystem.

But compare that with states like Haryana and Punjab — Olympic powerhouses. Haryana sent 24 athletes and won three out of India’s four individual medals. 

Punjab sent 19 athletes, including several in the bronze-winning men’s hockey team. 

Yet, together, they received just 237 crore rupees — five times less than Gujarat and UP.

Let’s also recall Tamil Nadu, which sent 13 athletes and received just 29.5 crore rupees.

So, if Khelo India’s aim is to build India’s sporting future, why doesn’t the funding align with actual performance?

There are more examples.

Take Manipur, which has produced Olympic medallists. It received just 80 crore rupees.

Maharashtra — where an athlete won a shooting bronze — got 125 crore rupees. 

The 'Khelo India' scheme was launched in 2017 to boost grassroots sports and build infrastructure. It was meant to support all states, not just politically strategic ones.

But these lopsided allocations are telling a different story.

So what’s going on here?

The Union government says these decisions are based on expert recommendations.

But no one knows who these experts are. Or what criteria they used.

And when Gujarat gets more funding than all southern states combined, it raises valid concerns.

Is this about building India’s Olympic dreams? Or winning elections?

Gujarat and UP are crucial for the BJP. Grants, scholarships, sports jobs in rural areas aren’t just investments in athletes. They’re potential political tools.

The Union Ministry revealed these numbers in Parliament on August 2 last year. Since then, disbelief and frustration have poured in.

And it’s not just the Opposition raising questions.

Even within the BJP, there have been murmurs. 

At a sports excellence forum in Gujarat’s GIFT City, Union Minister of State for Sports Harsh Sanghavi pitched Gujarat as “the future sports destination.”

But Union MoS for Youth Affairs Raksha Khadse, from his own party, gently pushed back.

She reminded the room that India needs to uplift all states, not just Gujarat. If we want to host the Olympics by 2036, every state must be taken forward.

Khadse’s comment was a sharp reminder that national sports policy shouldn’t revolve around just one state.

Now, the Union government insists Khelo India funding isn’t political.

According to The Quint, a senior official said funding depends on proposals submitted, and existing infrastructure.

But here’s the thing. Tamil Nadu has been submitting proposals.

For 2024–25 alone, the state submitted projects worth 120 crore rupees — including a synthetic track, an indoor stadium, a swimming pool, and a hockey turf.

None of them have been approved.

Meanwhile, even top stadiums in Tamil Nadu are falling apart.

Nehru Stadium in Chennai doesn’t even have a proper strength conditioning hall. Over 200 athletes use it every day.

Indian athletics team coach Premanand Jayakumar told Quint that the equipment is so poor, even local gyms are better equipped.

Some athletes are training abroad, spending huge sums just to access decent facilities.

At Khelo India centres in Tamil Nadu, coaches are apparently paid only once in three months. Many have already quit.

The situation is similar in Andhra Pradesh.

The state submitted 237 crore rupees worth of proposals between 2021 and 2023 — all rejected.

This year, it submitted 36 more projects at an estimated cost of 307 crore rupees. Barely 7 crore has been approved.

Officials in Andhra say they’re not asking for grand international stadiums. Just basic training infrastructure in districts that have none.

But here’s the thing. 

Despite its funding surge, Gujarat’s grassroots sports system is also strained. 

The government has been appointing khel sahayaks that is temporary sports teachers. 

But here’s the reality. 

Teachers have staged protests in Gandhinagar, demanding salaries and job security.

Some were detained while trying to march to the state assembly.

Salaries are delayed or incomplete. Many say they’re only paid for 8 months of an 11-month contract. No pay during vacations, even though they continue working.

Of course, Gujarat's ambition to become a sports hub is commendable.

But a sporting culture can't be built on unstable contracts and broken promises.

Now, Gujarat is not just receiving significant funding. It's also positioning itself as a future sports hub. 

But this growing prominence has triggered political backlash. 

The controversy over IPL playoff matches moving from Kolkata’s Eden Gardens to Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium raised many eyebrows.

Bengal’s sports minister called it “political vendetta.” 

The BCCI denied it and cited weather conditions. But that didn’t hold up when a match in Ahmedabad got delayed by rain.

To truly elevate India's sporting standards, shouldn’t the focus be on equitable development across all states?

Olympic dreams aren’t built in press conferences or giant stadiums named after politicians.

They’re built in local fields, dusty gyms, and crowded school grounds — nurtured by committed coaches, resilient athletes, and fair support from the system.

The Khelo India scheme was meant to fuel that dream, across every corner of the country.

But right now, it’s not just talent that’s racing against the clock.

It’s fairness.

Produced by Megha Mukundan, edited by Nikhil Sekhar, research by Lakshmi Priya, script by Lakshmi Priya and Pooja Prasanna

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