CHANDIGARH, JULY 23:The Government of India, Department of Sports and Youth Services will provide Rs 15 crore to Punjab under the Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan (PYKAKA) scheme from 2008-2009. The State Government will contribute Rs 3.25 crore, bringing the total to approximately Rs 18 crore. The innovative scheme aims at providing more sports facilities at village panchayat and block level.
According to Punjab Sports Director Olympian Pargat Singh, the scheme will be implemented in phases of 10 years up to 2016-17. The facilities would include creation of sports grounds, provision of equipment, provision of training and financial assistance for conducting block, district and state level rural tournaments.
Giving details of the scheme, Pargat Singh said that one time grant of Rs one lakh would be given to each village panchayat covering 10 per cent of the total villages– 12329 — in the state in the first year. The Government of India will give a grant of Rs 9.25 crore while the state government will contribute Rs 3.08 crore.
One time grant of Rs five lakh per block will be provided for 10 per cent of the blocks in the state for 2008-2009.Fourteen blocks out of total 141 will be covered in the first year. With the Centre and state governments contributing 75 and 25 per cent respectively, a sum of Rs 70 lakh will be disbursed among block panchayats.
Under the 100 per cent centrally sponsored scheme, Rs 1.23 crore would be given to village panchayats. Rs 10,000 per village panchayat will be provided to 10 per cent identified village panchayats for five years.
Giving further details of the various PYKAKA schemes, Pargat Singh said that under another 100 per cent centrally sponsored scheme, the Centre would give a grant of Rs 2.80 lakh– Rs 20,000 per block panchayat to 10 per cent identified block panchayats for five years, for purchase of equipments..
The Centre will also provide operation annual grant of Rs 12,000 per village panchayat to 10 village panchayats for five years to pay honorarium to the sports vounteers and run sports activities. For this 100 per cent Centrally sponsored scheme, Punjab will receive Rs 1.47 crore.
The Centre will also give an operation annual grant of Rs 24,000 per to 10 per cent block panchayat for five years to pay honorarium to the sports volunteers and to run sports activities. The total grant under this scheme will be 3.36 lakh.
The Centre will also provide Punjab Rs 70.5 lakh annual grant for block level tournaments, Rs 60 lakh for district level tournaments, Rs 64 lakh for prize money (trophies/shields or any other item) for block level tournaments and Rs 18 lakh as prize money district level tournaments.
The Punjab Sports Department has written to the National Institute of Sports, Patiala, which is the executing agency of Sports Authority of India for release of grants for conducting tournaments. The Sports Department has also requested the State Government to release 25 per cent funds as state’s share for infrastructure scheme.
On receiving communication from the state, the Sports Department will approach the Government of India to release 75 per cent of its share. The Sports Department has already started the process of identifying 10 per cent of village panchayats for various grants.
=== Balbir Singh, 09417153533===