More than 1,300 athletes have been removed from the Khelo India programme over the past three years due to poor performance and doping-related violations, Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
In a written reply to a parliamentary question on the progress and performance of athletes enrolled under the scheme, the minister said that 1,342 sportspersons were dropped for failing to meet prescribed performance benchmarks and for involvement in doping cases.
During the same period, 2,905 new athletes were inducted into the national talent development programme.
Mandaviya said athlete performance is evaluated annually through structured assessment camps, with benchmarks revised each year and updated regularly on the Khelo India platform.
He added that performance mapping and monitoring are carried out through standardised protocols, ensuring continuous review of athletes’ progress.
At present, over 23,000 athletes across the country are receiving training and institutional support under the programme.
He further explained that the induction and exit of athletes are overseen by the ministry’s Talent Identification and Development Committee (TIDC), which follows a defined selection and evaluation process based on performance assessment camps and objective criteria.
Launched in 2017, the Khelo India programme aims to identify and nurture sporting talent at the grassroots level and build a structured pipeline for elite performance.
Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker is among the scheme’s most prominent beneficiaries.
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Responding to a separate query on anti-doping enforcement, Mandaviya said the government has intensified efforts to ensure clean sport by strengthening investigative and intelligence mechanisms.
He noted that the National Anti-Doping Agency’s (NADA) intelligence and investigation infrastructure is being reinforced through institutional support, recruitment, and specialised training.
The minister also said coordination with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and other law enforcement agencies is being encouraged to tackle trafficking and misuse of performance-enhancing substances.
His statement comes amid concerns over India’s continued presence at the top of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) list of countries with the highest positivity rates for banned substances over the last three years.
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