By IANS,
New Delhi : Finance minister P. Chidambaram Thursday allocated Rs.1,219 crore to the ministry of youth affairs and sports for 2013-14, an increase of Rs.214 crore from the last financial year.
For 2012-13, the sports ministry was earmarked Rs.1,152 crore which was later revised to approximately Rs.1005.60 crore.
Of the Rs.1,219 allocated this year, Rs.250 crore will be used to set up the National Institute of Sports Coach in Patiala, leaving Rs.969 crore at the ministry’s disposal.
Looking at a further division of the fund, Rs.792.72 crore has been kept aside for sports while the youth department gets Rs.301 crore.
The Sports Authority of India, the nodal agency of the sports ministry, will get Rs.326 crore out of the total outlay while Rs.160 crore will be given to the national sports federations. Last year, the sports federations received Rs.110 crore.
There has been a steep reduction in the sports budget since the 2010 Commonwealth Games. In 2011, the government allocated Rs.1,121 in comparison to Rs.3,315 crore and Rs.3,670 in the previous two financial years.
India next prepares for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, which will be a crucial stepping stone for the Indian athletes ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics.