New Delhi, Nov. 6 -- Olympic gold medalist and Indian shooting legend Abhinav Bindra welcomed the Union Cabinet's approval of the Rs 1,856.67-crore Khelo India Sports Goods Manufacturing Scheme but stressed the need to focus on building global competitiveness rather than merely expanding manufacturing capacity.

He highlighted India's small share of global sports equipment exports and called for segment-specific strategies, including cost competitiveness and large-scale production in sports balls, specialised engineering in cycling and advanced composites, and greater investment in innovation, intellectual property and product development in sports technology.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month, approve...