Haryana MP Kartikeya Sharma Demands Official Esports Sports Status in Rajya Sabha(India)
- Saswata Mondal
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
In a pivotal moment for India's gaming youth, Rajya Sabha MP from Haryana, Kartikeya Sharma, urged the government during Zero Hour on February 10, 2026, to grant esports sports status in India. Speaking as a parent and lawmaker, Sharma highlighted the sector's explosive growth while calling for strict regulations to protect children from addiction.
"Grant official sports status to esports," Sharma stated, emphasizing professional leagues, training, and careers for India's 500 million gamers, the world's largest audience.
MP Sharma's Bold Pitch for Esports Sports Status in India
Sharma painted gaming as a "digital frontier of promise and peril." Key arguments:
Massive Scale: $3.7B domestic market to hit $10B by 2030; AVGC sector needs 2M jobs.
Global Legitimacy: Featured in Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth, India must catch up.
Youth Empowerment: Status would create regulated pathways, aligning with $1T digital economy goal.
He also flagged unregulated gaming's risks: addiction, anxiety, depression in kids. Demanded ecosystem-wide rules, development to streaming with mandatory audits for age-appropriate content. Praised Budget 2026's AVGC labs in 15,000 schools as a "first step."
Stat | Figure |
Gamers | 500M+ |
Market Growth | $3.7B → $10B by 2030 |
Jobs Needed | 2M in AVGC |
India's Steady March Toward Esports Sports Status in India
The government is warming to esports. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 officially recognizes it as a "multi-sport" under the National Sports Governance Act, excluding skill-based esports from money games bans while promoting events, training, and incentives.
Milestones:
2022: MYAS recognizes ESFI as national body.
2023-25: India medals at Asian Games esports.
2026: Budget labs, growing tournaments (BGIS ₹4Cr+ prizes).
ESFI leads via official site. Sharma's call could accelerate full integration.
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