SAI Budget Re-arranged Not Curtailed: Sports Ministry

New Delhi: The Sports Ministry on Wednesday insisted that it has not curtailed the funding for the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in the union budget, claiming that the money has merely been re-arranged.

The Sports Ministry last month received a hike of Rs 258.2 crore in the union budget for 2018-19. It was allocated a total of Rs 2196.36 crore, compared to 1938.16 crore earmarked last year.

However, SAI was allocated 429.56 crore, a cut of Rs 66.17 crore compared to last year's fund allocation of Rs 495.73 crore.

In response to a query in Rajya Sabha today, Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore, in a written reply, said it was a wrong perception that SAI's funding has been slashed.

"SAI has been entrusted to implement a number of the twelve vertical of the Khelo India Scheme being implemented by this ministry. The funds earmarked for such verticals will be placed at the disposal od SAI for implementing them.

"Thus, effectively, there has not been any curtailment of funds for SAI, though there has been rearrangement of resources between the Ministry and the SAI," the reply stated.

Rathore further said that SAI is also being provided financial assistance under other schemes of the Ministry like the Scheme for Assistance to National Sports Federations (NSFs), and the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) to undertake activities.