In a recent development, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) on Sunday has said that it has deposited Rs 30,000 each as pocket allowance in accounts of as many as 2749 Khelo India athletes. The total amount adds up to Rs 8.25 crore in all.
“The money has been transferred to the bank accounts of the athletes on May 22, 2020. A total of 2893 athletes will be given the Out of Pocket Allowance (OPA) for the period, with the funds to the remaining 144 athletes to be transferred by the end of May 2020,” a press release from SAI said.
The allowance is reportedly allotted for the first quarter of the 2020-21 year. The allowance includes expenses incurred in traveling to hometown, diet charges while at home and other various costs incurred by the athletes during this period.
The release further mentioned that athletes from 35 states and union territories have been given the allowance in 21 sporting disciplines with the maximum number of them from Maharashtra, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab and Tamil Nadu. The OPA comes to be around Rs 1.20 lakh annually and is a part of the Khelo India scholarship of Rs 6.28 lakh that is given to each athlete who is selected under this scheme, annually.