Men’s F52 discus thrower Vinod Kumar and men’s T64 high jumper Praveen Kumar, who have both qualified for next year's Paralympic Games in Tokyo, were among the eight athletes to be included in the scheme. 

They are joined by Para-table tennis player Bhavina Patel, who is ranked eighth in the world in the women's class four discipline.

Having already qualified for Tokyo 2020, Patel is set to become the first ever Indian competitor in the Paralympic table tennis contest. 

Women's Para-badminton pairing Parul Parmar and Palak Kohli were also included in the scheme. 

The duo are currently ranked fifth in the world and are well placed to book a spot at Tokyo 2020. 

It was decided that two Para-shooters would join the TOPS.

Rubina Francis, who competes in the women’s 10 metre air pistol SH1, and Siddharth Babu, who contests the men’s 50m rifle prone discipline, were both included. 

The Indian Government launched the TOPS in 2014, with the initial aim to increase the country's medal tally at Rio 2016 and identify potential future stars for Tokyo 2020.

Paralympic hopefuls were also included in the scheme, with financial assistance provided for athletes to help with their training.

India earned two gold medals, one silver and one bronze at Rio 2016, having sent 19 athletes in five sports.