PANAJI
Central government’s flagship ‘Khelo India’ project, launched to inculcate sports culture from the grassroots level, has seen Goa government receiving only Rs 4.24 crore for sports infrastructure under the scheme -- lowest allocation among all states and union territories. Interestingly, even the National Games
The Central government’s data reveals that Uttar Pradesh received the highest allocation at Rs 438.27 crore followed by Gujarat with Rs 426.13 crore and Arunachal Pradesh with Rs 148.91 crore, out of a total of Rs 2168.78 crore.
Minister for Sports Govind Gaude, however, defended the allocation, stating that the funds are only for the functioning of the two Khelo India Centres while Rs 19 crore has so far been received for overall infrastructure under the central project.
“We received Rs 19 crores for the infrastructure development for Khelo India. For the current fiscal year, we will soon receive. The amount of Rs 4.24 crores is for KICs as we have just three disciplines and 90 students so far. We are a small state…and moreover, we utilize our own funds too,” he said speaking to The Goan, comparing Goa to larger states with more students, multiple disciplines and a greater need for infrastructure.
Gaude also mentioned that the State received allocations for recurring and non-recurring expenditures covering salary components for manpower such as a high-performance director, head coaches, and scientific and support staff. For expenses like diet, meals and accommodation, the State Exchequer covers the cost.
According to the ministry's communiqué to all the states and UTs, a one-time initial grant of Rs 5 lakh per centre was announced for creating and upgrading sports fields, purchasing sports equipment, sports kits, and more. “The annual recurring grant for each centre is also Rs 5 lakh for a period of four years, which can be extended further for the remuneration of past champion athletes as coaches, support staff, purchase of equipment, sports kits, consumables and participation in competitions and events,” it stated.
The Sports Ministry approved two Khelo India Centres for Goa at a cost of Rs 20 lakhs as part of its larger plan to open 1,000 new KICs across all states and UTs.
