SAI spends ₹8.25 crore on Khelo India athletes’ out-of-pocket allowance

The allowance includes expenses towards travel to hometown, diet charges while at home and other miscellaneous expenses incurred by athletes.

Mascots of Khelo India at the inaugural function of the third edition of Khelo India Youth Games in Guwahati on January 10, 2020.

Khelo India athletes from 35 States and union territories have been handed out-of-pocket allowances by the Sports Authority of India. SAI has spent ₹8.25 crore on 2,749 athletes so far, and it plans to release the rest of the requisite funds for the first quarter of 2020-21 for the remaining 144 athletes by the end of this month.

Each athlete has been given ₹30,000 for the period of April, May and June 2020.

The allowance includes expenses towards travel to hometown, diet charges while at home and other miscellaneous expenses incurred by athletes.

The out-of-pocket allowance budget is ₹1.20 lakh per athlete annually and is part of the Khelo India scholarship of ₹6.28 lakh given to each athlete selected under the scheme. The OPA is transferred directly to the athlete’s bank account, whereas the rest of the amount is spent on the athletes’ training, food, lodging and education at the Khelo India Academy where the athletes train.