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What's the story?
Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has announced that the Indian Government spent Rs. 3.14 crores as an allowance for the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme in the final quarter of 2017.
In case you didn't know...
The TOP Scheme was formulated by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports within the overall ambit of National Sports Development Fund (NSDF).The objective of the scheme is to identify and support potential medal prospects for the Olympic and the Paralympic Games.
The heart of the matter
Former Olympic medal winner Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore announced the government's expenditure on the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme for the months of September to December recently. The amount of 3.14 crore was released by the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) towards the development of the chosen athletes under the TOP Scheme.
The chosen candidates under this scheme were provided with financial support as well as world-class training facilities for practice, in addition to the specialised training at several institutions.
The rate of Out of Pocket Allowance (OPA) from NSDF is Rs 50,000 per month and it is admissible with effect from September 2017 or from subsequent months of selection of the athlete whichever is later, said Rathore at a press meet.
What's next?
The Indian government has invested well in sports and with two years left for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, the concerted efforts can yield better results for India.
Author's take
The appointment of Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore was a highly positive step by the ruling government in India. Having been a successful sportsman himself, Rathore understands the needs of the athletes to achieve results at high levels of competitions across the world. Schemes like TOP and Khelo India are indications that the country is looking at sports in the right manner.
