Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially launched the first Khelo India School Games at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here on Wednesday.
The Khelo India programme has been introduced to revive the sports culture in the country at grassroots level and make India a sporting nation.
In keeping with Prime Minister Modi’s vision, Khelo India is expected to help scout young talent from the schools in various disciplines and groom them as future sports champions.
Talented players identified in priority sports disciplines at various levels will be provided annual financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh per annum for eight years.
The ‘Khelo India’ programme was initially launched by former Sports Minister Vijay Goel but was later revamped by his successor Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sport, Col. (Retired) Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.
Over the coming nine days, Under-17 players will vie for 199 gold medals, 199 silver medals and 275 bronze medals in across 16 disciplines: Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Boxing, Football, Gymnastics, Hockey, Judo, Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, Shooting, Swimming, Volleyball, Weightlifting, and Wrestling.
The school games will be held at multiple venues in Delhi. The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex are among the venues where the games will be held.
The inaugural games will conclude on February 8.