The Union Cabinet on Friday approved three landmark initiatives — the Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana (PM‑SSY) for floating solar expansion, the continuation of PM‑KISAN for five more years, and a revamped Khelo India scheme to strengthen India’s sports ecosystem.
Under PM‑Surya Sarovar Yojana, the government will invest Rs 5,070 crore to develop 5,000 MW of floating solar capacity over five years — a seven‑fold increase from the current 700 MW. Each project will receive support of up to Rs 1 crore per MW, with mandatory two‑hour energy storage systems adding 10,000 MWh of capacity. The scheme is expected to abate 10 million tonnes of CO₂ annually and create 16,000–17,000 jobs, while promoting domestic manufacturing of flotation and mooring systems.
The Cabinet also extended the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM‑KISAN) scheme till 2030‑31, with an outlay of Rs 3.15 lakh crore. Since its launch in 2019, PM‑KISAN has transferred Rs 4.47 lakh crore to over 9.49 crore farmers, including Rs 1.06 lakh crore to women farmers. The government cited NITI Aayog’s evaluation showing 92% of beneficiaries used funds for agriculture, improving productivity and reducing informal credit dependence.
In sports, the Cabinet approved a revamped Khelo India scheme and enhanced Assistance to National Sports Federations (ANSFs) with a combined outlay of Rs 36,441 crore for 2026‑27 to 2030‑31 — nearly eight times the previous allocation. The scheme will integrate school‑level sports with elite training, establish Khelo India Centres of Excellence, and introduce Emerging Athlete categories linked to the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).
The initiative aligns with Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 and the National Education Policy 2020, supporting India’s ambitions for the 2030 Commonwealth Games and future Olympic bids.
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