Sports Ministry receives Rs. 3,397.32 crore for FY 2023-24: Details
What's the story
The Sports Ministry has been allocated a budget of Rs. 3,397.32 crore for the fiscal year 2023-24, making it the biggest-ever allocation for the sports sector. Notably, it's an increase of Rs. 334.72 crore from the last year's budget, keeping in mind the upcoming Asian Games and 2024 Paris Olympics. Khelo India, the ministry's flagship program, has been allotted Rs. 1,045 crore. Here's more.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Over the last four years, the Indian government has made regular increments in the funds allocated to the sports sector with the sole intent of promoting sports and supporting talent at the foundational level. Government initiatives such as Khelo India Youth Games and Khelo India University Games provide the necessary training facilities to aspiring athletes, which helps them represent India at the global level.
Budgets
Here are the past sports budgets
In the Budget for 2019-20, the Indian government initially allocated Rs. 2,216.92 crore for sports, which was revised to Rs. 2,776.92 crore. A sum of Rs. 2,826.92 crore was allocated for 2020-21, an increase of Rs. 50 crore. The 2021-22 budget was revised to Rs. 2,757.02 crore, with the Sports Ministry receiving Rs. 3,062.60 for 2022-23, an increase of Rs. 305.58 crore.
Allocations
A look at the allocations
Khelo India received Rs. 1,045 crore, with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) being given Rs. 785.52 crore. National Sports Federation will get Rs 325 crore and National Sports Development Fund will get Rs. 15 crore. National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) will receive Rs 21.73 crore, with the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) getting Rs 19.50 crore.
Khelo India
Khelo India receives a major boost
Khelo India has been allotted Rs. 1,045 crore, a boost of Rs. 439 crore to last year's revised allocation of Rs. 606 crore. The increment can be attributed to the government's commitment to the program and its potential in producing high-performance athletes for major events, namely the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, and Asian Games.