Union Budget 2023: Sports Ministry gets Rs 3,397.32 crore, a boost of 700cr-plus

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New Delhi, Feb 1: The Union Government on Wednesday (February 1) allocated a budget of Rs 3,397.32 crore to the Sports Ministry in the Union Budget 2023 here.

The Sports Ministry has got a major fillip, an increase of Rs 723.97 crore from the previous year, in the year when the athletes will compete at the Asian Games and also prepare for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The amount is more than the revised budget of the previous financial year (2022-23) when the ministry received Rs 2,673.35 crore, as against the actual allocation of Rs 3,062.60 crore.

One of the reasons for the reduced revised allocation for 2022-23 could be the postponement of the Hangzhou Asian Games, which will be held this year.

Budget allocation for Khelo India Games

The ministry's flagship programme, 'Khelo India -- National Programme for Development of Sports' continues to be the government's priority, with it being allotted Rs 1,045 crore as against the revised allocation of Rs 606 crore during the previous financial year.

This is an increase of Rs 439 crore and points to the government's commitment to the programme, which over the years, has shown the potential to produce athletes for major global events such as the Olympics, Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games.

Budget allocated for SAI for FY 2023-24

The Sports Authority of India (SAI), which takes care of organising national camps for athletes, providing infrastructure and equipment to athletes, the appointment of coaches and maintaining sports infrastructure, among others, has seen a Rs 36.09 crore increase in its budgetary allocation from the previous year's revised expenditure of Rs 749.43 crore. Their allocation for 2023-24 stands at Rs 785.52 crore.

Budget for Sports Federations

The National Sports Federations (NSFs) have received an increased allocation of Rs 45 crore, from the previous year's revised budget of Rs 280 crore and will now get Rs 325 crore.

Budget for NADA in FY 2023-24

The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), affiliated to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL), which earlier received funding from SAI, will now get it directly.

A provision has been made in this year's budget to provide NADA with a funding of Rs 21.73 crore, while NDTL, which conducts the tests, will receive Rs 19.50 crore.

Budget for Sports Science

With countries across the world striving for sporting excellence and paying more attention to sports science and scientific training of athletes, this year's budget has also made a provision of Rs 13 crore for the National Centre of Sports Science and Research.

Esports and Online Gaming Sector Reacts

The Gaming and Esports sector which was recently officially recognised as part of the 'multisports event' category in India under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports also got a major shot in the arm with the following announcement from the Finance Minister.

1. Mobile phone production in India has increased from 5.8 crore units valued at Rs 18,900 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 31 crore units, valued at Rs 2 lakh 75,000 crore in the last financial year.

2. 100 labs for developing apps using 5G services will be set up in engineering institutions.

3. Removing the minimum threshold of Rs 10,000 for TDS on online gaming and providing clarity on taxability.

Lokesh Suji, Director, Esports Federation of India & Vice President of the Asian Esports Federation (AESF), while reacting over the Union Budget announcement pertaining to the online gaming and esports sector hailed the government's decision over mobile phone production.

Mr Suji said in a statement, "As stated by our honourable finance minister Nirmala Sitaraman in today's Budget, mobile phone production in India has seen a significant rise in the past few years and that has undoubtedly been a game-changer for the Esports industry in the country.

"Contributing extensively to propelling the industry to unimaginable heights, the increasing availability of smartphones in India at affordable rates has not only expanded the player base by making gaming more accessible but has also attracted investment from companies, resulting in the development of existing as well as newer games."

He also lauded the government's decision on setting up 5G labs at engineering institutions but also hoped to get clarity on the taxability for Esports, which wasn't addressed in the budget speech.

"With the numbers further upscaling and 5G acting as a catalyst that fuels the industry's flourishment, we are going to witness monumental growth within the Esports sector in the coming years. As we are still awaiting clarity on the taxability for Esports, we are hopeful that the decisions will be in favour of the community and impact it positively," he added further.

(With PTI inputs)