Syllabus
GS-2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Context: Recently, the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has launched a Comprehensive Internship Policy to create a structured, large-scale platform for nurturing young talent and strengthening the country’s sports ecosystem.
Comprehensive Internship Policy
- Under the new policy, 452 internships will be offered annually with a monthly stipend of ₹20,000, across the MoYAS & its key institutions, including the Sports Authority of India (SAI), National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL).
- An annual budget of ₹5.30 crore is allocated, and internships last between 6 weeks and 6 months.
- The program covers over 20 domains and is open to eligible Indian nationals.
- Two recruitment cycles will be conducted every year; in January and July, through a centralised online portal, ensuring transparency, inclusivity and merit-based selection.
- The programme aligns closely with the objectives of the National Sports Policy and Khelo Bharat Niti 2025, with a strong focus on youth empowerment, capacity building and professionalisation of sports administration.
Objectives of the Internship programme
- To provide qualitative exposure to government functioning and sports governance through the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MYAS) and its autonomous bodies.
- To enable hands-on participation in flagship schemes and programmes such as Khelo India, Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), Target Asian Games Group (TAGG), SAI Stadia, Regional Centres (RCs), and National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs).
- To encourage youth engagement, digital fluency, innovation, and entrepreneurship in the administration and promotion of sports, fitness, and athlete support systems.
- To build a pipeline of trained professionals capable of contributing effectively to India’s sporting ecosystem in areas such as policy, infrastructure, media, IT, legal frameworks, sports science and sports management.
- To relate different sports science subjects and become familiar with the laboratory tests and equipment and also to provide hands on training in research project development, analysis and interpretation of data in sports science.
- To strengthen the fight against doping in sport by engaging interns in awareness programmes, legal compliance, case management, and policy support under the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).
- To provide exposure to advanced scientific and technical processes in sports integrity through internships at the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL), including hands-on experience in sample analysis, research, and laboratory-based anti-doping activities.
- To contribute towards clean sport, transparent governance, and scientific advancement in alignment with international standards and India’s commitments to fair play and athlete welfare.
Significance of the Comprehensive Internship Policy
- Talent Pipeline: Creates a robust supply of trained professionals in niche areas like sports science, anti-doping, and sports governance.
- Hands-on Exposure: Provides students with first-hand experience in large-scale government flagship initiatives like Khelo India and the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).
- Clean sport: It is a significant step towards promoting clean sport, transparent governance and scientific advancement, reinforcing India’s commitment to fair play, athlete welfare and excellence in sports administration.