Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha on Thursday hailed the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman saying the fund boost would help the athletes in having specialised training programmes.
The Sports Ministry has been allocated Rs 3,442.32 crore, a hike of Rs 45.36 crore as compared to last year. In the previous budget, the Sports Ministry had got a revised allocation of Rs 3,396.96 crore.
The Olympic Games in Paris, to be held from July 26 to August 11, will be the country’s main focus during the 2024-25 financial year.
“In this Olympic year, the positive aspect is the increased support for athlete training programmes. With enhanced funding, our athletes can access better coaching, sports science support, and other essential resources, ultimately improving their performance on the global stage,” Usha told PTI.
“This is a positive step towards nurturing talent from the grassroots level and creating a robust sports ecosystem in the country. It will also help in talent identification at the grassroots level through Khelo India programmes.”
Emphasizing the significance of increased support for athlete training programmes, Usha underlined the crucial role of financial backing of the athletes.
“Financial backing is crucial for athletes to focus on their training without concerns about resources,” she said.
“I believe that with collaborative efforts between the government, sports organisations, and the public, we can achieve greater heights in the world of sports,” she concluded.
historic firsts a result of unique schemes
Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur also his gratitude to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for giving priority to the sports and youth sector.
“Recognising the need to completely revamp the existing sports ecosystem in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, since the very beginning, has given unprecedented attention to grassroots-level talent identification, infrastructure building, support to elite athletes and creating an overall sports culture that would provide equal opportunities to women, the divyang (specially abled) and the youth from far-flung areas,” Anurag Thakur said.
“The result of this has been the introduction of unique schemes and programmes, like the Khelo India Scheme, Fit India Movement, Target Olympic Podium, Mission Olympic Cell and so on. These programmes have proved to be very successful and are widely acclaimed across the country. With the Prime Minister injecting a renewed vigour into sports, a large number of historic firsts have also been recorded in India’s sporting history since 2014,” he added.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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