New Delhi: Khelo India, which is the government’s flagship project to promote sports at the grassroots level, was once again the biggest beneficiary in the union budget for the sports ministry as it was assigned Rs 900 crore from the overall allocation of Rs 3,442.32 crore on Tuesday.
Kehlo India’s share, announced in the budget
presented by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman here, is
Rs 20 crore more than the revised allocation of Rs 880 crore during the previous financial year.
With the Olympic cycle set to come to an end in Paris
in August this year, and the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games still two
years away, the budget for the Sports Ministry has seen
only a marginal increase of Rs 45.36 crore from the previous cycle. The budget for the previous cycle was Rs 3,396.96 crore for the previous financial year.
The government has invested heavily in Khelo India over the years as the
programme continues to unearth talent from all parts of the country. While Khelo India’s actual allocation in 2022-23 stood at Rs 596.39 crore, it was increased by
more than Rs 400 crore, to Rs 1,000 crores, in the 2023-24 budget.