Anurag Thakur, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports on Tuesday said that his ministry released an amount of Rs 6,801.30 crore under various sports development schemes in the last five years.
"Funds are allocated Scheme-wise, not State/UT-wise. During the last five years, a sum of Rs 7,072.28 crore was allocated and a sum of Rs 6,801.30 crore was released under the various sports development schemes of this Ministry," said Thakur in a written reply in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
Earlier this year, Thakur had taken over from Kiren Rijiju as the Sports Minister.
Sports' being a State subject, the responsibility to make sports accessible to the masses at the village level rests primarily with the State/Union Territory Governments.
The Central Government supplements their efforts. However, the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports runs the following schemes for the development of sports in the country, including at the village level: Khelo India Scheme; Assistance to National Sports Federations; Special Awards to Winners in International Sports Events and their Coaches.
The other schemes are -- National Sports Awards; Pension to Meritorious Sportspersons; Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay National Sports Welfare Fund; National Sports Development Fund; and Running Sports Training Centres through Sports Authority of India.
( With inputs from ANI )
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