Budget 2023: Biggest-ever allocation for Indian sports worth Rs 3,397.32 crore
Budget 2023: The annual budget for the current year was announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The session saw the Indian sports sector being handed its most significant allocation to date of ₹3397.32 crore.
FollowIn a year when the Indian athletes will compete at the Asian Games and prepare for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Sports Ministry has got a fillip with the government allocating ₹3,397.32 crore, an increase of ₹723.97 crore, in the Union Budget in New Delhi on Wednesday. The amount is more than the revised budget of the previous financial year (2022-23), when the ministry received Rs 2,673.35 crore, as against the actual allocation of Rs 3,062.60 crore. One of the reasons for the reduced revised funding for 2022-23 could be the postponement of the Hangzhou Asian Games, which will be held this year.
The ministry's flagship programme, 'Khelo India -- National Programme for Development of Sports' continues to be the government's priority, with it being allotted ₹1,045 crore as against the revised allocation of ₹606 crore during the previous financial year. It is an increase of ₹439 crore and points to the government's commitment to the programme, which over the years, has shown the potential to produce athletes for major global events such as the Olympics, Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games.
The Sports Authority of India (SAI), which takes care of organising national camps for athletes, providing infrastructure and equipment to athletes, appointment of coaches and maintaining sports infrastructure, among others, has seen a ₹36.09 crore increase in its budgetary allocation from the previous year's revised expenditure of ₹749.43 crore. Their allocation for 2023-24 stands at ₹785.52 crore.
The National Sports Federations (NSFs) have received an increased allocation of ₹45 crore, from the previous year's revised budget of ₹280 crore and will now get ₹325 crore. The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), affiliated with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL), which earlier received funding from SAI, will now get it directly.
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A provision has been made in this year's budget to provide NADA funding of ₹21.73 crore, while NDTL, which conducts the tests, will receive ₹19.50 crore. With countries worldwide striving for sporting excellence and paying more attention to sports science and the scientific training of athletes, this year's budget has also made a provision of ₹13 crore for the National Centre of Sports Science and Research.
(With inputs from PTI)
