Budget 2024: Sports gets Rs 45 crore hike in interim union budget

The Sports Ministry was allocated Rs 3442.32 crore, an increase of Rs 45.36 crore to compared to last year, in the interim Union Budget presented by the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday. In the previous budget, the Sports Ministry had been allocated Rs 3,396.96 crore.

The main focus for Indian sport in 2024-25 will be the Olympic Games in Paris. The Summer Games will be held in the French capital from 26 July to 11 August.

Sports Ministry’s flagship programme, Khelo India, has been 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, appoints coaches among others, saw a Rs 26.83 crore increase in 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 received 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 dope testing, 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 Jammu and Kashmir’ was also brought down to Rs 8 crore from previous budget allocation of Rs 20 crore.

In the previous budget, the allocation for Commonwealth Games was Rs 15 crore, which was brought down to Rs 0.01 crore this time.

IOA chief PT Usha welcomes budget boost

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha said that the fund boost would help the athletes in specialised training programmes.

“In this Olympic year, the positive aspect is the increased support for athlete training programmes. With enhanced funding, our athletes can access better coaching, sports science support, and other essential resources, ultimately improving their performance on the global stage,” Usha told PTI.

“This is a positive step towards nurturing talent from the grassroots level and creating a robust sports ecosystem in the country. It will also help in talent identification at the grassroots level through Khelo India programmes.”

Emphasising the significance of increased support for athlete training programmes, Usha underlined the crucial role of financial backing of the athletes.

“Financial backing is crucial for athletes to focus on their training without concerns about resources,” she said.

“I believe that with collaborative efforts between the government, sports organisations, and the public, we can achieve greater heights in the world of sports,” she concluded.