With a marginal increase of approximately Rs 51 crores, the sports sector continued to remain on the fringes of the Union Budget for the financial year 2016-17.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley allocated Rs 1400 crores as planned outlay and Rs 192 crores for non-planned outlay for a total of Rs 1592 crores, an increase of Rs 50.87 crores of which almost 40 crores is in non-planned outlay.
While the assistance to sports institutions has been retained at Rs 545.90 crores, anti-doping measures will continue to receive Rs 12 crores, same as last year. The Sports Authority has been granted Rs 381.30 crores, a hike of Rs 11.91 crores.
With the Olympics less than six months away and the sports administration scenario in the country struggling, the meagre increase has not evoked any reaction from the federations, most of which refused to even acknowledge the hike.
“Any increase in the sports budget is good but clearly sports needs more budgetary support than is being done currently,” was all Athletics Federation of India president Adille Sumariwala had to say on the budget.
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