In a stinging attack on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the 2010 Commonwealth Games scam demonstrated the approach of the previous UPA government towards sports. Addressing athletes of Khelo India University Games, being held in Uttar Pradesh, PM Modi said, "The Commonwealth Games scam showed the attitude of the previous govt towards sports. Games which would have enhanced India's image were made scam-ridden."
The games will witness the participation of over 4750 athletes from more than 200 Universities competing in 21 sports categories.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur were among those present at the event.
Recalling the previous regime's indifference towards sports, PM Modi said it did not get the requisite support from the governments. "This made it extremely difficult for the poor, middle class and rural children to excel in sports. This made many parents ignore sports as it had limited scope as a career," the PM said.
Speaking on urban sports infrastructure, the Prime Minister noted that earlier governments spent just Rs 300 crore in six years, whereas under Khelo India Rs 3000 crore has been spent, making it easier for more athletes to take up sports.
"The budget for sports has seen a three-fold rise compared to what was there nine years ago," he further said.
The PM said in the last nine years of the NDA governmment, a new era of sports has started in India. "It is not just about making India a big power in sports but also is an era of empowering society through the medium of sports," PM Modi said.
"Sports is now being viewed as an attractive profession and Khelo India Abhiyan has played a big role in that," he said.
PM Modi said, through the Khelo India initiative, athletes were getting better competition exposure, which was providing them more opportunities to assess and improve.
"This was the main reason behind starting Khelo India Games which have expanded to Khelo India University Games and Khelo India Winter Games. This is bearing fruits and building up the confidence of our sportspersons and getting great results in international competition," he said.