BHUBANESWAR: The state authorities on Friday elevated the outlay to sports activities by practically eight-fold on this 12 months’s funds from the determine in 2017-18, which the finance minister claimed was the very best outlay for the sector among the many states.
While it had allotted Rs 149 crore within the funds for 2017-18 for sports activities, it has gone as much as Rs 1,217 crore for the 2023-24 monetary 12 months. Last 12 months, the federal government allotted Rs 911 crore to the sector. Sports fans mentioned the rise in allocation will result in creation of sports activities infrastructure in semi-urban areas as effectively.
While presenting the annual funds, finance minister Niranjan Pujari mentioned, “In recent years, sports created a new and unique identity for Odisha. Our state is being recognized as a major sports destination in the country. Sports has become one of the pillars of new Odisha.” He emphasised on the state efficiently organising the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup for 2 consecutive occasions.
In his speech, Pujari additionally talked about that regardless of Covid pandemic and opposed climate, the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela was constructed in simply 15 months.
He mentioned, “Our government will continue to focus on large-scale sports development through creation of sports infrastructure, professional coaching and supporting national and international sports championships. Odisha has turned into an ideal destination of the sports federations and sportspersons.
Odisha is leading the country in terms of large-scale investment in sports which will yield dividends in future,” he mentioned.
In 2018, the state organised the boys’s hockey World Cup for the primary time in Bhubaneswar and 4 years later in 2023, it bought one other alternative to host the World Cup. Given the success in organising the occasion in 2018, it was given one other likelihood to organise the World Cup once more in 2023, sources mentioned.