New Delhi [India], February 12: The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports’ move to include esports medal winners and their coaches into its Cash Incentive Program has been praised by the Esports Federation of India (ESFI) as a game-changing move for the sector.

This proposal, which was announced under the direction of Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, unites esport with conventional sports and gives millions of gamers the opportunity to represent India internationally. The honor enhances India’s standing as a rising force in professional gaming and opens up new doors for esports players.

According to industry projections, India has over 500 million gamers and 1.5 million active esports athletes. This effort is expected to drive the industry’s extraordinary development. More and more esports athletes will be encouraged to participate nationally as a result of this inclusion, hoping to represent their nation and win medals in international competitions.

A complete new ecosystem of organized training and professional development of technical and coaching personnel devoted to esport, which is now the largest missing link for the nation, will also be fostered by making coaches of esports athletes eligible for rewards.

“This is a landmark moment for Indian Esports,” said Lokesh Suji, Director of ESFI & VP-Asian Esports Federation, underscoring the importance of the project. One significant milestone for our sports is the government’s cash incentives for Esports medalists and their coaches. India is already a powerful force in esport, and this program will encourage more young players to participate internationally. According to a statement from the Esports Federation of India, “We anticipate an exponential increase in grassroots participation and the growth of India’s Esports ecosystem.”

“This is a great start, and eventually we will see this incentive scheme extended to Asian Level Esports Championships as well,” Suji, who is also a member of the International Esports Federation’s Membership Committee, said. We would want every state to add our esports champions to their state-level financial incentive programs.

The athletes who meet the requirements of the aforementioned program must apply for both themselves and their coaches via the Department of Sports’ DBT-MIS Portal within six months of the event’s end.

In the past, ESFI has helped the Maharashtra government award cash awards (Rs 10 lacs apiece) to the state’s esports competitors who competed in the Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2023.

Players like Wasfi Bilal, Pavan Kampelli, Tirth Mehta, and DOTA2 Team have already brought honors to India, and Indian esports has already made great progress on the international front. Pavan won bronze in eFootball, while Wasfi took home silver in Tekken. Future athletes have a solid foundation thanks to Tirth Mehta, India’s first Esports medallist in the 2018 Asian Games, and the DOTA2 Team at the Commonwealth Esports Championships. It is anticipated that esports’ inclusion in the government’s incentive program would encourage a new generation of gamers to pursue similar interests, highlighting a greater grassroots effort to identify and nurture esports talent in the nation.

India’s goal to become a global esports powerhouse is further supported by this effort, which marks a historic turning point for Indian esports. The National Esports Championship (NESC), one of the national level tournaments held by ESFI, has produced medals for India and representatives in several international competitions.

Additionally, ESFI and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) have teamed to organize the Waves Esports Championship and the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit in May 2025. Such organized assistance would promote more involvement, draw capital, and strengthen India’s standing as a major player in the world of esports.