Union Budget 2020 / Sports budget up by ₹50 crore, Khelo India gets hike

News Platform : Feb 02, 2020, 08:56 AM
The overall sports budget for the financial year 2020-21 of Rs. 2826.92 crore saw a surge of Rs. 50 crore from the revised estimates of Rs. 2776.92 crore in 2019-20. The government did not allow a substantial hike in the sports budget on Saturday, with a dip in the incentives for athletes in the Olympic year, which comes as a major talking point.

Noticeable dip in incentives for athletes in Olympic Year

With the preparation for Tokyo Olympics at full-flow, the sports budget comes as a major setback for the athletes. The government has proposed to slash the incentives of athletes from Rs. 111 crore to Rs. 70 crore, which is a dip by more than Rs. 40 crore, in the marquee year for the athletes.

Big Blow for National Sports Federations, Sports Authority of India

The allotment of sports budget for 2020-21 came as a major blow for the National Sports Federations as well, as it saw the reduction in allotment of funds. The National Sports Federations have been allotted Rs. 245 crore, Rs 55 crore less than, the budget last year. The Sports Authority of India (SAI), the hub for athletes training in the country, was also allotted with a slashed budget which went down to Rs. 500 crore from the revised Rs 615 crore. And if that was not enough, the budget for the National Sports Development Fund reduced to Rs. 50 crore from Rs. 77.15 crore. 

Major hike in Khelo India programme 

Government’s Khelo India programme has been a real success in its initial years as it has helped to unearth potential talents. In a bid to continue the development at youth and grassroots level, the government has given a hike of Rs. 291.42 crore to its flagship event. With the Khelo India University Games set to begin from February 21, the provisions made by the government will be closely seen coming into effect during the nine-day event.

The overall sports budget for 2020-21 did not have many positives, with the budget being slashed in major sections. However, with the Tokyo Olympics around the corner, the government will now be focusing on nurturing the teams and individuals, who will represent the country in the marquee event. 

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