The sports ministry on Thursday allocated Rs 3,442.32 crore, a hike of Rs 45.36 crore as compared to last year, in the interim Union Budget presented by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
In the previous budget, the ministry had got a revised allocation of Rs 3,396.96 crore.
The Paris Olympic Games, to be held from July 26 to August 11, will be the country’s main focus during the 2024-25 financial year.
“It’s more or less on expected lines. Last year saw a quantum leap in allocation because of the Asian Games and preparations for the Paris Olympic Games. The benchmark was set in 2023 itself,” a sports official said.
“Figures show this time sports budget has an increase of Rs 45.36 crore and that’s a good sign. This time more athletes are qualifying for the Olympic Games compared to what we saw during the Tokyo Games, and they would need foreign exposure and other things. This shows the government prioritises sports,” Dola Banerjee, Olympian archer and executive council member of the Indian Olympic Association said.
India for the first time crossed the three-figure mark at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year, winning 107 medals. Sitharaman, in her budget speech, mentioned the Hangzhou feat and also heaped praise on Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa who was the runner-up in the Chess World Cup last year.
In Paris, India are aiming for a never-before double-figure show with Tokyo Games javelin gold medal winner Neeraj Chopra spearheading the challenge once again.
The ministry’s flagship programme, Khelo India, was allotted Rs 900 crore, an increase of Rs 20 crore from the previous budget.
The Sports Authority of India (SAI), which organises national camps, provides infrastructure and equipment to athletes, and appoints coaches among others, saw Rs 26.83 crore increase in its budgetary allocation from the previous year’s revised expenditure of Rs 795.77 crore.
The national sports federations (NSFs) will receive Rs 15 crore more this time, as compared to the 2023-24 revised budget of Rs 325 crore.
The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) too got a raise with the government allocating Rs 22.30 crore in the interim budget as compared to Rs 21.73 crore in 2023-24.
The National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL), which conducts the testing of dope samples, will receive Rs 22 crore, Rs 2.5 crore more than the previous budget.
The budget for National Centre of Sports Science and Research has been reduced to Rs 8 crore from Rs 10 crore previously, while the National Sports University will get an increased allocation of Rs 91.90 crore from Rs 83.21 crore of 2023-24 budget.
The budget for giving incentives to sportspersons saw a significant reduction from Rs 84 crore to Rs 39 crore.
The allocation for National Sports Development Fund was also reduced to Rs 18 from Rs 46 crore. The Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay National Welfare for Sportspersons scheme got Rs 2 crore.
The allocation for ‘Enhancement of Sports Facility in J&K’ was also brought down to Rs 8 crore from Rs 20 crore.
