By IANS
New Delhi : Sports Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar Thursday said that Rs.6.61 billion ($161 million) would be spent on training “elite sportspersons” who will represent India at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
While answering a question in Rajya Sabha Thursday, Aiyar said: “To improve the performance of the Indian contingent … a programme for providing training, foreign exposure, scientific backup, equipment etc. with an estimated cost of Rs.661 crore has been drawn up for the elite sportspersons, who will represent India in the Games.”
The minister also gave details of expenditure by the various agencies involved in organising the games.
“The government has approved project proposals of Sports Authority of India for an amount of Rs.10 billion (± 10 percent) for upgradation/creation of sports venue infrastructure; upgradation of tennis venue by All India Tennis Association at a cost of Rs.300 million (± 15 percent) and expenditure budget of organising committee on a revenue neutral basis of Rs.7.67 billion (± 15 percent) for ‘conduct of the Games’,” he said in his reply.
“It is expected that work on all the major sports venue infrastructure projects will commence between August and December 2007 and the venues will be handed over to the organising committee by the end of 2009.”
Aiyar said that the expenditure finance committee has recommended the proposal of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for Rs.3.25 billion (± 25 percent) for the ‘international zone’ in the Games village, which is being developed on public private partnership mode, and sports infrastructure.
“The Planning Commission has approved a proposal of the government of Delhi for an amount of Rs.7.70 billion. The Planning Commission has also approved an amount of Rs.1.10 billion to the Government of Maharashtra for sports infrastructure for the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune,” he said.
Delhi has prepared an action plan of Rs.13.52 billion for spending on various heads, such as augmentation of facilities related to health, transport, road, horticulture, water, electricity and infrastructure for the Games.
While Rs.7.70 billion has been approved by the Planning Commission, the remaining funds, Rs.5.82 billion, would be given by the Delhi government from its own Plan Schemes.