The Union Budget effected a hike of Rs 31.41 crore for sports and games for the year 2005-06, allocating a total of Rs 312.79 crore while also earmarking funds for the Commonwealth Games.

The total figure works out only to a nominal hike compared to the Budget Estimate (BE) of Rs 281.38 crore for last year which came down to 269.48 crore in the Revised Estimate (RE).

With Delhi gearing up for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Finance Minister P Chidambaram set apart Rs 45.50 crore for its preparations.

But the UPA government did not allot any fund towards grants for creation of sports infrastructure, to rural schools for development of playfield, for promotion of sports in

universities and colleges and for installation of synthetic playing surfaces. The last budget had kept Rs 42 crore as grants, which was scaled down to 32.5 crore.

It also marginally reduced the assistance to National Sports Federations pegging it at Rs 48 crore against the BE and RE figures of Rs 50.31 core and 49.22 crore respectively.

As in the previous budget the major chunk of the funds go to the Sports Authority of India, which would get Rs 157.35 crore against the revised estimate of Rs 138.93 crore. The BE was Rs 144.89.

However, the scheme for incentives for promotion of sports activities got a vote in favour from the UPA government with an allocation of Rs 22 crore which was slightly less than RE figure of Rs 25.30 crore.

The amount marked for the purpose was a paltry nine crore in the last budget before it underwent a big upward revision.