The Khelo India Programme is a government initiative to increase the growth of sports in India and create a culture of sports in the country. It was launched in 2018 by the then Sports Minister Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore in Delhi. The objectives of the Khelo India Programme include:

• Building the best infrastructure and providing the best facilities for athletes.
• Encouraging people to play sports and participate in sports.
• Developing sports at the grassroots level.
• Promoting sports for excellence and sports for all.
• Mainstreaming sports as a tool for national, economic, community, and individual development.

The Khelo India Programme is a national scheme for the development of sports in India. It covers the 1000 most deserving and talented athletes across sports disciplines every year. The programme aims to award a scholarship of 5 lakhs each year for 8 years to 1000 selected athletes. The Khelo India scheme has been divided into 12 verticals to achieve its objectives, which include Playfield Development, Support to National/ Regional/ State/ Sports Academics, Community Coaching Development, State Level Khelo India Centers, Physical education of school children, Sports for women, Annual Sports Competition, Promotion of sports amongst people with disabilities, Talent search and development, Sports for Peace and Development, Utilization and Creation/ Upgradation of Sports Infrastructure, and Promotion of rural and indigenous/ tribal games.

The eligibility criteria for the Khelo India programme are as follows:

• Candidates who fall under the category of 17 years of age or below are eligible to participate in the sports of the under-17 category.
• Candidates who fall under the category of 21 years of age or below are eligible to participate in the sports of the under-21 category.

The Khelo India Programme is an important part of the UPSC syllabus, and aspirants must focus on the minor details of such government policies, as objective type questions can be asked in the UPSC prelims examination.