Telangana allocated 0.06 per cent of budget to sports

Hyderabad: The state’s performance at the National Games has been discouraging when compared to smaller states such as Kerala and Haryana, according to the Compliance Audit Report of the CAG.

The state sent a contingent of 197 participants for the National Games held in January/February 2015 in Kerala. 

They participated in 15 of 35 disciplines, and won 33 medals, only two per cent of the total number of medals awarded, across nine disciplines.

The Sports Authority of Telangana, in its audit conducted between March and July 2017, observed, “A sum of '2,091.56 crore, i.e. 0.5 per cent of the total state budget of '4,18,310 crore, was required for the period from 2014 to 2017.

However, the government only allocated '269.54 crore, a measly 0.06 percent of the state budget. The allocation showed a downward trend, from 0.12 per cent in 2014-15 to 0.04 per cent in 2016-17. Also, the allocated funds were not released in full; only '203.54 crore, 76 per cent of the allocation, was released.”

The government responded by saying that agriculture, irrigation, electricity, and public welfare programs were being prioritised in the allocation of funds, and so the budget for sports was restricted.

The audit report on sports activities in Telangana concluded, “Sport promotion activities in the state lacked the required impetus in terms of direction.”

“This was due to the absence of proactive planning for the promotion of sports and a fully-functional administrative setup for the coordination of sports activities.

Education and sports activities were not linked. There was no systematic planning to spot talent across the state.”