₹6.52 crore out of pocket allowance allotted for 2,189 Khelo India athletes
PremiumSAI to release ₹6.52 crore as out of pocket allowance for 2,189 Khelo India athletes
For the April-June quarter, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) has sanctioned ₹6.52 crore in out of pocket allowance (OPA) for 2,189 Khelo India athletes across 21 disciplines, including para. The OPA ( ₹1.20 lakh a year) is sent directly into the athlete's bank account, with the remainder going for training, food, lodging, and education at the Khelo India Academy, where the athlete trains.
"A financial assistance of ₹6.28 lakhs is allocated for each residential athlete training at the accredited academies as per the annual Khelo India scholarship scheme. That includes an out of pocket allowance of ₹1.20 lakh," a SAI release stated.
"It also includes expenses towards travel to hometown, diet charges while at home and other miscellaneous expenses incurred by the athletes. The funding has been done as per the Khelo India Talent Development (KITD) Scheme," the release added.
Athletes from over 36 states and union territories competed in 25 different sports at the fourth edition of the Khelo India Youth Games. The Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) 2021 kicked off on June 4 in a variety of locations, with the majority of the events taking place in Panchkula, Haryana. On June 13, the Games, which were part of the Indian government's Khelo India project, came to an end.
At KIYG 2021, 4,700 athletes from India's 36 states and union territories competed, including 2,262 women. Haryana, the hosts, had the largest contingent with 398 athletes.
A total of 903 medals were awarded in 25 different sports. Mallakhamb, gatka, kalaripayattu, thang-ta, and yogasana were among the five indigenous sports that made their KIYG debut this season, which was often postponed due to COVID-19. At KIYG 2021, 33 states won at least one medal, with 28 of them winning gold.
Haryana won the KIYG 2021 title with 52 gold medals, including 10 in boxing. Sanyukta Kale of Maharashtra swept all five gold medals available in rhythmic gymnastics, making her one of the most notable individual performances. Harshada Garud, a weightlifter, won gold by breaking the young national record in the girls' 45kg division by lifting 83kg.
(With PTI inputs)
