Sports Ministry approves special grant of 25 crores for SAI training centres

In a major boost to grassroots-level athletes, the Sports Ministry on Wednesday approved a special grant of Rs 25 crore for the upgradation of equipment at SAI Training Centres (STCs) across the country.

The decision to give grassroots-level athletes access to modern equipment was taken during the Sports Authority of India's 56th General Body meeting, which was attended by Sports Minister Anurag Thakur and his deputy in the ministry, Nisith Pramanik, among others. Besides, it was also decided to ensure that the unutilized infrastructure at SAI centres are used for sports-related activities.

"All the decisions taken in today's meeting are athlete-centric. We have decided that SAI will partner with suitable organisations for the usage of infrastructure," Pramanik said while briefing the media here. It was also decided to make flexible the recruitment rules of SAI so that specialists from different sporting fields are hired with ease, in order to strengthen the sporting ecosystem of the country. The meeting was attended by senior SAI officials, including Director General Sandip Pradhan.

"The government has also committed to extending the same facilities to para-athletes as able-bodied athletes and ensure that para-athletes are provided with facilities as per their personalised requirements," Pramanik said.

The ministry has decided to give guide runners to para-athletes in all SAI Training Centres. It was also decided in the meeting to create a panel of visiting specialised doctors at all SAI NCOEs to take care of the athletes' specific medical needs.