The Esports Federation of India (ESFI) has hailed the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports’ decision to include esports medal winners and their coaches under its Cash Incentive Program as a revolutionary step for the industry.
Announced under the leadership of sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya, this move aligns esports with traditional sports, opening doors for millions of gamers to represent India on the global stage. The recognition brings new opportunities for esports athletes and strengthens India’s position as a growing powerhouse in competitive gaming.
ESFI director & Asian Esports Federation VP Lokesh Suji stated, “The government’s recognition of esports medalists and their coaches with financial incentives is a defining step for our sports. India is already a force to reckon with in esports, and this initiative will inspire more young talents to compete on the international stage.”
Suji, who is also the member of Membership Committee of International Esports Federation, added, “This is a great start and eventually we will see this incentive scheme extended to Asian level esports championships also. We would request all the states to also include our esports medalist in the state level cash incentive schemes.”
Additionally, ESFI believes that having coaches of esports players also being eligible for incentives will foster a whole new ecosystem of structured training and professional development of technical and coaching staff dedicated to esports, which currently is a biggest missing link for the country.
The sports persons eligible as per guidelines of the above said scheme shall submit their applications for themselves and their coaches only through DBT-MIS Portal of Department of Sports (dbtyas-sports.gov.in) within six months from the conclusion of the respective event.
Previously, ESFI had facilitated the cash prizes given by the Maharashtra government to the esports athletes (Rs 10 lakhs each) of the state who participated in Asian Games held at Hangzhou 2023.
