Analysis: Modi Govt Allocated Largest Share of Funds to Gujarat For Olympics?

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Mahima
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2024 Paris Olympics
Funds allocation for sports development

At present, India has won five bronze and one silver medal in the Paris Olympics but this time India’s Olympic journey has not been as per expectations. Meanwhile, it is being claimed on social media that under the Khelo India scheme, the Government of India allocated Rs 400 crore to Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, while Haryana, the state with the highest number of medals, was given only Rs 66 crore. Sharing this claim, the Modi government is being accused of being biased towards Gujarat.

Trinamool Congress leader Kirti Azad wrote, “Manipur and Haryana give the highest number of Olympic medals to India. But guess which state gets the most amount of funds in the name of Sports development? Gujarat A state that has nothing to do with Sports or Indian armed forces. But gets most of the budget allotments.” (Archived link)

X handle Siddharth wrote, “Punjab: 19 athletes, ₹78 crores Haryana: 24 athletes, ₹66 crores UP: 6 athletes, ₹438 crores Gujarat: 2 athletes, ₹426 crores Modi govt’s biased funding is also a reason India isn’t winning medals. Share this with bhakts who are abusing Vinesh!” (Archived link)

Handle Nehr_who wrote, “Haryana with 24 athletes Participating got only 66 crore INR. While Gujarat with 2 athletes got whopping 426 crore INR. Favouritism? No wonder we are behind Pakistan in Olympic Rankings.” (Archived link)

Ductar Fakir wrote, “Punjab: 19 athletes, ₹ 78 crores Haryana: 24 athletes, ₹ 66 crores UP: 6 athletes, ₹ 438 crores Gujarat: 2 athletes, ₹ 426 crores. Now you yourself guess why India is 10 places behind Pakistan.” (Archived link)

X handle Nitin wrote, “19 athletes from Punjab and 24 from Haryana went to Paris Olympics, but Punjab got ₹78 crores and Haryana got ₹66 crores. UP sent 6 athletes but got ₹438 crores, and Gujarat sent just 2 athletes but still got ₹426 crores. How will Modi Govt explain this biased distribution and funding?” (Archived link)

TMC leader Jawahar Sircar wrote, “Haryana has given us 3 medals, + we may still get a silver. Maharashtra gets us 1 medal. And Hockey gives us 1. What happened to those 2 states that got most of Govt’s money for sports? Modi’s favouritism for Gujarat makes people angry!” (Archived link)

Congress troll Rofl Gandhi wrote, “Best wishes to the Indian Olympic team that has gone to Paris. The country has great expectations from you. There are especially high expectations from the players of Gujarat because, as per the Sports Ministry report, nearly 20% of the ‘Khelo India’ scheme is invested in Gujarat alone.” (Archived link)

Jaiky Yadav wrote, “Manu Bhaker of Haryana won 2 medals for the country. Sarabjot Singh of Haryana won 1 medal for the country. Neeraj Chopra of Haryana threw the longest javelin. Haryana’s Vinesh Phogat defeated the world’s number 1 wrestler but Gujarat got the highest budget of Rs 426 crore for Khelo India while Haryana got only Rs 66 crore.” (Archived link)

Punit Kumar Singh wrote, “Under Khelo India, Modi gave 608 crore rupees to Gujarat and medals came – 0. Haryana got 89 crore rupees and got 44 medals Rest you are intelligent.” (Archived link)

Also Read: Vinesh Phogat’s Paris 2024 Disqualification: Weight Issue or Conspiracy?

Fact Check

A press release issued by the Press Information Bureau provides State/UT-wise details of funds released by the Government for development of sports infrastructure under Khelo India Scheme. The allocation of funds given are mentioned below:

Andhra Pradesh will get Rs 21.91 crore, Arunachal Pradesh will get Rs 148.91 crore, Assam will get Rs 43.68 crore, Bihar will get Rs 20.34 crore, Chhattisgarh will get Rs 19.66 crore, Delhi will get Rs 69.99 crore, Goa will get Rs 4.24 crore, Gujarat will get Rs 426.13 crore, Haryana will get Rs 66.59 crore, Himachal Pradesh will get Rs 17.48 crore, Jammu and Kashmir will get Rs 18.84 crore, Jharkhand will get Rs 9.63 crore, Karnataka will get Rs 109.11 crore, Kerala will get Rs 50.00 crore, Ladakh will get Rs 13.58 crore, Madhya Pradesh will get Rs 94.06 crore, Maharashtra will get Rs 87.43 crore, Manipur will get Rs 46.71 crore, Meghalaya will get Rs 15.28 crore, Mizoram will get Rs 10.42 crore Rs 31.73 crore, Nagaland got Rs 45.75 crore, Odisha got Rs 34.25 crore, Puducherry got Rs 8.75 crore, Punjab got Rs 78.02 crore, Rajasthan got Rs 107.33 crore, Sikkim got Rs 24.64 crore, Tamil Nadu got Rs 20.40 crore, Telangana got Rs 17.77 crore, Tripura got Rs 32.30 crore, Uttar Pradesh got Rs 438.27 crore, Uttarakhand got Rs 23.78 crore, and West Bengal got Rs 22.22 crore.

Moreover, a Times of India report dated February 10, 2024, states that the Government of India has given Rs 2677.77 crore to Haryana to promote and develop sports in the last four years. Rs 880 crore has been allocated in the year 2023-2024 itself, while Rs 600 crore was given in 2021-22.

The claim that Haryana only got Rs 66 crore for Olympics is misleading. In last 4 years, Haryana has received Rs 2,677 crore for sports development.
TOI report

If we talk about the year 2013-14 , the Congress government had allocated a budget of only Rs 1219 crore for sports, whereas today in 2024-2025 this budget has increased to Rs 3442.32 crore.

During 2014 winter Olympics, the Congress govt had allocated a budget of Rs 1219 crore for sports development.
ET report

Furthermore, we examined the report data available on the Sports Authority of India (SAI) website to analyze the funds allocated under the Khelo India scheme. According to the data, a total of 490 players are training at the National Center of Excellence in Haryana, while 252 players are training at the National Center of Excellence in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, and 217 players are training in Lucknow. Regarding the National Centers of Excellence, there are three centers in Kolkata and Chandigarh, two in Sonipat and Mumbai, and one each in Gandhinagar and Lucknow.

SAI data on funds allocated under Khelo India Scheme.
SAI

According to the SAI report, there are a total of 69 SAI training centers in India, of which 15 are in West Bengal, 10 in Kerala, 5 in Uttar Pradesh, and only 3 in Gujarat.

SAI data on training centers in different state.
SAI

According to additional data available on the SAI website, Haryana has a total of 10 training centers, while Gujarat has only 2, and Uttar Pradesh has 14.

Haryana has total 10 training centers while Gujarat has only 2.
SAI

In our fact check, we found that Khelo India is primarily a medium through which financial support is provided to sports in India. Khelo India was launched by the Government of India in 2017 to revive the spirit of sports in the country by engaging with children at the grassroots level. This initiative also focuses on building better sports infrastructure and establishing various sports academies across the country for different sports.

Apart from this, there are other schemes like the Target Olympic Podium Scheme, National Sports Development Fund, Fit India, and Special Area Games Scheme, which have been implemented to develop sports and support athletes. Speaking of the Olympics, the Target Olympic Podium Scheme is a major initiative of the Government of India and the Ministry of Sports, aimed at providing support to India’s top athletes. The goal of this scheme is to enhance the training of these athletes so they can win medals at the Olympics. To achieve this, the Sports Department works to identify individuals with the potential to win Olympic medals. The scheme focuses on sponsoring a group of athletes who are in the development phase and have the potential to win medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

According to a report published by CNBC on July 20, India is sending 117 athletes to the 2024 Paris Olympics. These athletes will represent India in 16 of the 32 sports included in the Paris 2024 games. A report shared by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Sports Authority of India reveals that the government has spent over ₹470 crore on these 16 sports in which Indians have qualified for the Paris Olympics. CNBC has provided a detailed account of the Indian athletes trained through TOPS who participated in the Olympics, including how much the government spent on them.

Further, according to the report, Archery received total funding of ₹39.18 crore, supporting 6 players. During the Paris Olympic cycle (2021-24), the Indian government supported 41 national camps and 24 overseas training trips, involving 5 TOPS core and 13 developmental archers.

Athletics received total funding of ₹96.08 crore, supporting 29 players. India will be represented by a 29-member track and field contingent at the Paris Olympics. In preparation for the event, the Indian government supported 36 national camps and 85 overseas training trips, involving 23 TOPS core and 13 developmental athletes.

Rs 470 crore funding allocated for 2024 Paris Olympics.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports

The report further states:

  • Badminton: Total funding of ₹72.03 crore, supporting 7 players. During the Paris cycle, 13 national camps and 81 overseas training trips were supported, involving 10 TOPS core and 15 developmental shuttlers.
  • Boxing: Total funding of ₹60.93 crore, supporting 6 players. In preparation for the Paris Olympic Games, 17 national camps and 23 overseas training trips were supported, involving 9 TOPS core and 20 developmental boxers.
  • Equestrian: Total funding of ₹95.42 lakh, supporting 1 player. In preparation for the Olympic Games, 12 overseas training trips were supported, involving 2 TOPS core equestrians.
  • Golf: Total funding of ₹1.74 crore, supporting 4 players. In preparation for the Summer Olympics, 1 national camp and 12 overseas training trips were supported, involving 4 TOPS core and 2 developmental golfers.
  • Hockey: Total funding of ₹41.30 crore. The Government of India supported 76 national camps and 36 overseas training trips for Paris 2024, involving 33 TOPS core players.
  • Judo: Total funding of ₹6.33 crore, supporting 1 player. In preparation for the Olympic Games, 6 national camps and 15 overseas training trips were supported, involving 9 TOPS developmental judokas.
  • Rowing: Total funding of ₹3.89 crore, supporting 1 player. In preparation for Paris 2024, 16 national camps and 9 overseas training trips were supported, involving 3 TOPS core and 3 developmental rowers.
  • Sailing: Total funding of ₹3.78 crore, supporting 2 players. In preparation for Paris 2024, 28 overseas training trips and 1 national camp were supported, involving 2 TOPS core sailors.
  • Shooting: Total funding of ₹60.42 crore, supporting 21 players. For Paris 2024, the Indian government provided generous financial support for enhanced preparation, including 96 overseas training trips and 45 national camps, involving 25 TOPS core and 20 developmental shooters.
  • Swimming: Total funding of ₹3.90 crore, supporting 2 players. In preparation, 9 national camps and 25 overseas training trips were supported, involving 1 TOPS core and 1 developmental swimmer.
  • Table Tennis: Total funding of ₹12.92 crore, supporting 8 players (6 qualified players and 2 reserve players). For the Paris cycle, 7 national camps and 173 overseas training trips were supported, involving 7 TOPS core and 5 developmental paddlers.
  • Tennis: Total funding of ₹1.67 crore, supporting 3 players. For the Paris 2024 cycle, the Government of India supported 72 international competitions, including 3 TOPS core athletes.
  • Weightlifting: Total funding of ₹27 crore, supporting 1 player. For the Paris 2024 cycle, 9 international competitions and 9 national camps were supported, involving 2 TOPS core and 6 developmental lifters.
  • Wrestling: Total funding of ₹37.80 crore, supporting 6 players. For the Paris cycle, 19 national camps and 66 overseas training trips were supported, involving 10 TOPS core and 15 developmental wrestlers.”

Conclusion: The analysis report clearly shows that the Government of India prepares Olympic athletes through the separate TOPS scheme, which is not connected to the funds received by state governments. Last year, Haryana received ₹800 crore from the Government of India for the development and expansion of sports. The primary objective of the Khelo India scheme is to strengthen sports infrastructure in every state and city and to prepare Indian athletes for international competitions. This is why Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh have been allocated more funds under this scheme, as their sports infrastructure is less developed compared to other states. Just as teachers pay more attention to a student who is struggling academically, the less developed states are given special status to help them advance.”

Also Read: Vinesh Phogat Competed in Both 50 kg and 53 kg Categories, Qualifies Only in 50 kg After Loss in 53 kg

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