After Khelo India, a buoyant Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has another initiative up his sleeve

Rajyavardhan Rathore

The government is planning to sponsor 1,000 select school-going sportspersons from across India by giving them Rs 5 lakh each year for eight years, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said at the News18 Rising India Summit on Saturday.

The intention behind the scheme is to identify talent early and help shape youngsters to become champions in their respective sports.

To do so, the government will partner with CBSE schools and Kendriya Vidyalayas across the country and indentify the best possible candidates, who will then be given Rs 5 lakh in cash every year.

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“There is always this problem that capable athletes usually don't get sponsors as the brands want to get an already established star on board…We will even go to the extent of DNA testing and when we will have the final few selected kids, we will sponsor them,” Rathore said.

The sports minister and former Olympic silver medalist also spoke at length about the recently-concluded Khelo India Games, which saw school students from across the country battle it out in various sports disciplines.

"When I was watching Khelo India on television, I didn't realise that it was competition between kids from India, rather it seemed like an international competition and it was very heartening," Rathore said.

The former ace shooter pointed out that for one to become a sports hero, he or she needs to have a live audience watching them perform. The Khelo India Games gave a lot of youngsters that platform.