Union Budget Allocates Rs 500 Crore for Sports Goods Manufacturing

• First-ever allocation to promote sports equipment innovation under the 'Make in India' initiative
• Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports receives Rs 4479.88 crore, up by Rs 1133.34 crore
• Funding rises 78%, from Rs 28.05 crore to Rs 50 crore, for India’s Glasgow 2026 representation

The Union Budget which Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented recently created an important milestone for India's sports industry. The sports goods manufacturing sector received its first-ever budget which assigned Rs 500 crore specifically for its development.

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports received a total budget increase of Rs 1133.34 crore which brought its total budget to Rs 4479.88 crore after the department received Rs 3346.54 crore during the previous year.

Sitharaman announced a new initiative to promote equipment manufacturing and research and material sciences innovation which she said would help India emerge as a top sports equipment manufacturing country.

The Sports Ministry accepted this dedication by showing its intent to invest the upcoming support into developing the business sector. The sector had not received dedicated budget allocations in previous financial plans.

Also Read: Budget 2026 Watch: Industry Sector Expectations

The initiative is expected to boost start-ups and technology advancements in sports goods under the 'Make in India' scheme because the program will provide athletes across the country with more affordable sports equipment. Sports organizations made changes to their operations.

The Sports Authority of India (SAI) received an increase in funding which raised their budget from Rs 880 crore to Rs 91738 crore to support national training camps and infrastructure development. The National Dope Testing Laboratory and National Anti-Doping Agency both experienced budget cuts.

The Khelo India programme received Rs 92435 crore which represents a decrease from last year’s funding of Rs 1000 crore while this amount exceeds the previous fiscal year expenditure of Rs 700 crore.

Commonwealth Games preparation funding experienced a huge funding increase of 78 percent which raised the budget from Rs 28.05 crore to Rs 50 crore to support India’s participation in the Glasgow event this July-August.