Interactive: Huge disparity in Khelo India funds allocation and Olympics achievements
UP and Gujarat received over Rs 400 cr each, but sent just 8 and 2 athletes, respectively, to Paris; Haryana (Rs 67 cr) and Tamil Nadu (Rs 20 cr) sent 24 and 13 athletes
As the Indian contingency returns from the Paris Olympics with just six medals – no gold – experts have once again emphasised the need to tap sporting talent at a young age, at the grass-roots level.
This calls for a sustained investment of resources in sporting infrastructure, to tap and develop potential. The Centre's Khelo India scheme, launched in 2017-18, aims to do exactly this.
Funding rows
Under the scheme, run by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, funds are allocated each year to all the states. However, the allocation of funds has been the bone of contention, with several states – most of them not ruled by BJP – saying they get a smaller share of the pie.
Ahead of the Paris Olympics, Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha that 25 per cent of the Indian contingent at the Olympics are Khelo India Athletes. Which states did these athletes hail from? How much funding had those states received?
A comparison of the Khelo India funds allocated and the number of athletes sent to Paris by each state reveals very little correlation between the two parameters.
State-wise numbers
Uttar Pradesh, which received Rs 438.27 crore, sent just eight athletes to Paris. Gujarat received Rs 426.13 crore, and sent two athletes.
On the other hand, Punjab, which sent 18 athletes, received Rs 78.02 crore. Haryana sent the most athletes – 24 – after receiving just Rs 66.59 crore.
Karnataka, which received Rs 109.11 crore, could send only seven athletes to the Game. Neighbouring Tamil Nadu, which sent 13 athletes, had received just Rs 20.40 crore.
Interactive map
Click on each state on the interactive map below to know the state-wise numbers.
Note that we included the medallists' names under each state just as additional information. We have not attempted to enumerate the number of medallists for any state.
