New Delhi, May 27 (IANS): The All India Council of Sports (AICS) president Prof. Vijay Kumar Malhotra has urged the state governments to enhance their sports budget, especially in view of the fact that sports is a state subject and it is their duty to promote sports.
Prof. Malhotra said that the best-ever medal tally in Olympics shows that India is in the right direction but it needed a comprehensive approach by the state governments for promoting sports.
"State Governments should also enhance their Sports Budget, especially in view of the fact that Sports is a State Subject and it is the primary duty of the States to promote sports in their respective states," he stated after the 14th meeting of AICS here on Friday.
"India is celebrating its best-ever medal tally in the recently concluded Olympic Games, Paralympic Games and Deaflympic Games. The Government of India is immensely working on identifying and promoting sporting excellence since 2015 and the result we all saw in the Tokyo Olympics, Paralympics, and Deaflympics," he said.
Prof. Malhotra said that indeed the performance of our sportspersons have improved but if compared to the showing of athletes from other countries it is clearly understood that we need to develop and market sports at the grass-root level.
"A study has revealed that those countries who were on the top of medal tally invested heavily and prudently in building up the sports culture while we have a very limited budget for sports although the present NDA Government has increased the Sports Budget compared to the previous UPA Governments," Prof. Malhotra said.
Prof. Malhotra informed the members that state governments have been requested to consider implementing the suggestions made by AICS for the benefit of physically different sportspersons (Paralympic & Deaflympic Games) and Intellectually different sportspersons (Special Olympic Games) viz. launching of a special talent hunt programme, setting up of special sports, developing suitable infrastructure, providing specially designed equipment, prize money and employment at par with the general athletes and providing adequate separate budgetary allocation for them from regular sports budget.