Sports is a State subject and promotion of sports in the country, including establishing institutional system for the standardization and quality of playgrounds is primarily the responsibility of the State Government concerned. The Central Government complements/supplements the efforts of the State Governments.

This Ministry is implementing the Khelo India Scheme which inter-alia includes a vertical ‘Play Field Development’ which provides for putting in place a strong institutionalized mechanism for preserving, protecting, developing and promoting playfields though setting up of State and District Playfield Associations by the States/UTs on the lines of National Playfield Association of India (NPFAI).

Further as per the provisions of the scheme and operational guidelines thereunder, developing playgrounds in all gram panchayats can be taken up by all States/UTs in convergence with the scheme of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and any other scheme(s) of the State Government/Central Government for which suitable advisory has been issued on 17.11.2017 to all States/UTs through operational guidelines on “Play field Development” component of Khelo India Scheme.

This information was given by Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports Col. RajyavardhanRathore (Retd.) in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha today.

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