§1Ways to get started
- Gym or fitness studio
- Turf / box-cricket / badminton court rental
- Sports academy with coaching
- Event venue or event management
- Adventure activity operator
§2Hubs and clusters
- All metros and tier-2 cities - no official hub list used
§3Licences and registration
- Shops & Establishment registration; municipal trade licence
- Police licence for places of public amusement and events
- Fire NOC; structural safety certificate for rides and stands
- Entertainment tax / GST on admission (state rules)
- FSSAI registration if serving food
- Udyam Registration (MSME) - free, online, PAN + Aadhaar based
- GST registration (mandatory above turnover threshold or for inter-state supply / e-commerce sale)
- Shops & Establishment registration or Factory Licence (Factories Act / state rules) depending on size and power use
- Consent to Establish and Consent to Operate from the State Pollution Control Board - category (Red/Orange/Green/White) as per CPCB 2025 harmonised list; White category is exempt from consent
- IEC (Importer Exporter Code) from DGFT if you import or export
§4Regulators
- Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports; Sports Authority of India
- State sports departments
- Local police and municipal body (entertainment, amusement and event permissions)
- State tourism departments (adventure tourism guidelines)
§5Government help
- Khelo India and Fit India programmes - status not checked in this pass
- Cross-sector schemes that also apply (detailed in the programmes file): Udyam benefits, PMEGP, PM Mudra Yojana, CGTMSE credit guarantee, Stand-Up India, MSE-CDP (cluster development), RAMP, MSME ZED and Lean certification, MSME Champions, TReDS, Startup India (SISFS seed fund, Fund of Funds, CGSS), RoDTEP, EPCG, Advance Authorisation, Districts as Export Hubs, ODOP (One District One Product)
§6Pros and cons
Merits
- Rising fitness and leisure spending in tier-2 cities
- Recurring membership revenue
Demerits
- Land/space cost and seasonality
- Safety liability and multiple local permissions