Notwithstanding the impact of COVID-19 in the past year, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the National Sports Federations (NSFs) gained in varying degrees even as the Union budget reduced the allocation for sports by ₹230.78 crore for the financial year 2021-22.
In the next financial year, the fund allocated is ₹2,596.14 crore, down by 8.16% when compared to the last budget.
The Sports Ministry’s ambitious ‘Khelo India’ schemes has taken a hit of ₹232.71 crore, with its allocation slashed to ₹657.71 from ₹890.42 crore.
On the brighter side, SAI’s allocation stood at ₹660.41 crore up from ₹500 crore, while the assistance for NSFs saw a spike of ₹35 crore (₹245 crore to ₹280 crore).
Increase in incentives
There has been a slight increase in the allocation for incentives for sportspersons. The fund now stands at ₹70 crore, up by ₹17 crore from last year.
Likewise, the contribution to The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will now be ₹2.5 crore, up ₹50 lakh.
The downside is the fund allocated for renovation and maintenance of the infrastructure built for the 2010 Commonwealth Games is cut by over 50% and now stands at ₹30 crore. Similarly, the budget for the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) is down to ₹25 crore from ₹50 crore.
In addition, there has been no change in the allocation of ₹50 crore for the development of sports facilities in Jammu and Kashmir besides ₹55 crore set aside for Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education.
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