Sports get a push in the budget; along with the new sports policy it could be a giant leap for Indian sports
Brijender Singh Panwar
More than 50 per cent of the increased allocation of Rs 723.97 crore in the recent Union Budget to “Khelo India”, the nation's flagship sports development programme, is a timely step in the right direction. It is heartening to note that an increase of Rs 439 crore for Khelo India carries the sports budget to a new high of Rs 3,397.32 crore- Khelo India's budget of Rs 1,045 crore accounts for just under a third of the total allocation. Last year, the sports budget saw an increase of Rs 305.58 crore whereas this year the reflected gross increase stands at over Rs 700 crore. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) budget has seen only a marginal increase of Rs 36.09 crore for a total of Rs 785.82 crore. The National Sports Federations will receive Rs 325 crore as against Rs 280 crore last year. The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) is all set to receive funding of Rs 21.73 crore while the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) shall get Rs 19.50 crore. National Centre of Sports Science and Research (NCSSR) received Rs 13 crore. However, some downsides have also been noticed.
The incentives for sportspersons comes down from Rs 55 crore last year to Rs 45 crore and the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) stands at Rs 15 crore, down by one crore from the previous budget. Obviously, the sports budget received appreciation from all stakeholders. Welcoming the overall increase in the sports budget, the Director General of the Confederation of Sports and Recreation Industry (CSRI), Rajpal Singh said that the government should grant industry status to the sports sector. “The inclusion of the sports industry in the Harmonized Master List of Infrastructure sub-sectors will make it eligible for long term financial support from the banks”, he added.
In the given situation of rampant drug abuse and the prevailing lethargic attitude amongst our young generation, the heavy allocation of the budget for sporting activities is a positive development for society in general and the youth in particular. Participation in sports is a great unifier and equaliser.
Irrespective of various differentiating factors which include culture, language, colour and geographical boundaries, sporting activities are a key driver for creating feelings of harmony, goodwill and mutual cooperation in society. Thanks to the Central and states governments' persistent efforts and impetus towards sports which are reflected in the nation's impressive performance in the Olympics, Paralympics and Commonwealth games, there has been a tremendous shift in the public perception towards sports. Good performance of our athletes in National and International sporting events and celebration of their success as a nation's success motivated the young kids, youth and their parents leading to boosting their morale and more and more parents are now open towards their children pursuing sports as a career. The significant role played by the government and the corporate sector in supporting the nation's athletes had helped in creating realization in the society that sports make for an attractive and rewarding career.
Realizing that identifying sporting talent at a young age is advantageous because by doing so children best suited for a particular sport can be selected and trained from an early age, more than 23 lakh school-going children in the age group of 5-18 years have been assessed using the Khelo India Mobile App and more than 82,000 physical education teachers have been trained to assess the sporting talent amongst the children. One of the key pillars of the Khelo India Scheme is to make quality sports infrastructure equitably accessible to the citizens. In order to make it possible, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has sanctioned 294 sports infrastructure projects across the country at the cost of more than Rs 2,500 crore.
The Ministry and Sports Authority of India are working in a mission mode, supporting athletes and other stakeholders in the sporting ecosystem through various initiatives under the Khelo India Scheme including the establishment of district-level Khelo India Centres, Khelo India State Centres of Excellence, organizing annual Khelo India Games , community coaching development programmes (e-Khel Pathshala), promotion of women's participation in sports through women sporting leagues in various sporting disciplines, large-scale sports and fitness promotion events through the FIT India programme. The scheme has a robust early-stage talent identification and development mechanism through which talented sportspersons in various sports disciplines are identified and supported through an out-of-pocket allowance and training support through Khel India Accredited Academies.
At present, there are 2745 identified sporting talents across 21 sports disciplines (including Para sports) selected under Talent Search & Development. These budding athletes are being groomed to be our future Olympic Medallists. A total of 264 Sports Academies (190 Non-SAI and 74 NCOE & SAI) have been accredited for the training of athletes identified under the Khelo India scheme across the country. The identified athletes have state-of-the-art training programmes designed for them at these academies. Sports competitions and programmes are organized for youth living in extremism and terrorism-infested areas so that the energy of the youth can be channelized, constructively. In addition to promoting rural and indigenous games, persons with disabilities are supported through the Khel India Scheme.
(The writer is a senior journalist and Chairman of the Panwar Group of Institutions, Solan, Himachal Pradesh. The views expressed are personal)
