Overview
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), a Government of India enterprise, gives monthly scholarships to economically weaker young sportspersons who have the potential to excel in sport, in games including badminton, boxing, wrestling, kabaddi, chess, athletics and para sports. This is a public-sector company scheme, not a government department scheme. A scholarship is awarded for one year and can be extended up to two years based on annual performance. The number of scholarships is fixed game by game; for the 2025-26 round, for example, badminton had 6 (3 for men and 3 for women) and kabaddi had 20.
Key details
- Age
- 15 to 20 years (date of birth between 1 April 2005 and 1 April 2010 in the 2025-26 round)
- Amount / benefit value
- Monthly: Sub Junior ₹15,000 (national) or ₹20,000 (international); Junior ₹20,000 or ₹25,000; Senior ₹25,000 or ₹30,000.
- Official guidelines PDF
- 📄 Download PDF ↗
Note: Run by ONGC, a public-sector company, not a government department. The 2025-26 round ran from 22 September to 21 October 2025 and is closed; check the ONGC sports scholarship portal for the next round.
Official documents
Notices and PDFs published by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, including earlier years. Links checked 2026-10-06.
- 📄 ONGC Sports Scholarship Scheme 2025-26, Annexure-1 (copy hosted by the Badminton Association of India) ↗ONGC Sports Scholarship Scheme 2025-26, Annexure-1Ministry page ↗
Eligibility
- ▸ Indian citizen aged 15 to 20 years (date of birth between 1 April 2005 and 1 April 2010 in the 2025-26 round).
- ▸ Parents' income not more than ₹5 lakh a year, shown by an income certificate issued by a statutory authority.
- ▸ Not employed anywhere, and not receiving a scholarship or stipend from SAI, Khelo India, the Central or a State government, PSUs, foundations or trusts, multinationals or private organisations.
- ▸ Not earning money from professional leagues.
- ▸ Not a recipient of government cash awards for medals at the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games or senior World Cups and World Championships.
- ▸ Selection is based on performance in recognised tournaments (a score matrix) or, for badminton, squash, table tennis and tennis, on the latest national and international singles rankings.
Benefits
- ✓ Monthly scholarship by category and level. Sub Junior: ₹15,000 (national level) or ₹20,000 (international level). Junior: ₹20,000 or ₹25,000. Senior: ₹25,000 or ₹30,000.
- ✓ Opportunity to represent ONGC in domestic tournaments, with TA/DA and expenses paid, and playing kits.
- ✓ Health/accident insurance of ₹5,00,000 may be provided, or reimbursement of a self-insurance premium of up to ₹7,000 a year.
- ✓ Scholarship is paid online to the linked bank account; selected players submit quarterly performance reports.
Application process
Online only at https://sportsscholarship.ongc.co.in. Help: ONGC Corporate Sports Division, phone 011-26751413 / 26751421, email sports_scholarship@ongc.co.in (Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 5 PM). Selected players must submit their documents within 15 days of the offer letter. A separate 2026-27 round for the Podium Aspirants category (ages 18 to 30) ran from 8 to 29 September 2026; see the ONGC Sports Scholarship Scheme 2026-27, Podium Aspirants Category entry.
Apply via: Online only at https://sportsscholarship.ongc.co.in. Help: ONGC Corporate Sports Division, phone 011-26751413 / 26751421, email sports_scholarship@ongc.co.in (Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 5 PM). Selected players must submit their documents within 15 days of the offer letter. A separate 2026-27 round for the Podium Aspirants category (ages 18 to 30) ran from 8 to 29 September 2026; see the ONGC Sports Scholarship Scheme 2026-27, Podium Aspirants Category entry.