The government on Saturday allocated Rs 2826.92 crore as sports budget for the next financial year, which is up by a mere Rs 50 crore from the revised estimates of 2019-20.
The government gave a substantial hike of Rs 291.42 crore to its flagship Khelo India programme for development of sports at the grassroot and youth level. But, as far as incentives for sportspersons in the Olympic year are concerned, it has proposed to slash the amount from the Rs 111 crore to Rs 70 crore.
The government also decreased the allocation to Sports Authority of India (SAI) from the revised Rs 615 crore to Rs 500 crore. The SAI is the nodal organisation to manage nationals camps, provide infrastructure, equipment and other logistics to the country's sportspersons.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget on Saturday.
"This budget is woven around three prominent themes, aspirational India, in which all sections of society seek better standards of living, economic development for all, indicated in Prime Minister's exhortation 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas', and lastly, ours shall be a caring society," Sitharaman said during the presentation of the Budget.
"Budget 2020 is to boost the income of people and enhance their purchasing power," she added.
