Sports Budget 2009: Sports Ministry May Need More For 2010 CommonWealth Games

Sports Minister M S Gill has a reason to be cheerful after the Union Budget as he now sees his Ministry richer by Rs 3073 crore.

But the question is that how much of this amount will be actually spent on sports activity.

• Rs 2264 crore is earmarked just for the Commonwealth Games

• Rs 271 crore goes to youth affairs

• Youth and sports schemes in the Northeast are worth about Rs 95 crore

So, the actual money for sports works out to something near Rs 440 crore from which Rs 176 crore will go to the Sports Authority of India. Finally, what is left is Rs 264 crore.

The Government at the moment is not looking beyond the Commonwealth Games but what about other multi-discipline games. The Asian Games which are far more prestigious will be held a month after the Delhi Games and they seem to be low on the priority list.

“Even for training for the Asian Games money should come,” says President Indian Olympic Association Suresh Kalmadi.

Budget increased for completion Delhi CWG 2010 of venues

The Delhi government has significantly increased its budget to complete venues for next year's Commonwealth Games in a positive response to criticism over construction delays, domestic media reported on Tuesday.

The regional administration has allotted an extra 9 billion rupees ($184 million) for the Oct 3-14 event in its annual budget presented on Monday, The Hindu daily reported.

The administration and Games organising committee have been blamed for the tardiness in the completion of venues, which also forced the world badminton championships to be shifted from the capital to Hyderabad.

Delhi has allotted 21.05 billion rupees ($431.4 million) for completing projects for the multi-sports gathering, with around half the sum coming from the federal coffers.

Meanwhile, local authorities, keen to spruce up New Delhi and attract more tourists when the Games are held, planned to clear the streets of beggars and would introduce mobile courts to punish those caught, the paper said.

Consultants would advise on the landscape around games venues while rickety public transport buses are being replaced by new ones in the sprawling city of over 14 million people.