Rathore lavishes praise on Khelo India Games

New Delhi: Asserting that the Khelo India School Games is a 21st century scheme, Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said on Friday that the government will fully support the National Sports Federations (NSF) to produce better athletes.

"Khelo India Games is a 21st century idea and we are ready to help the NSFs as they are also an essential part of the country's sport. Our mandate is to support the NSFs and not to snap others' survival," Rathore told the media.

"Fund is not the limitation for transparent NDFs. There are so many leagues coming up. There will have to be new ideas, new format in the 21st century. For these kind of NSFs, there will not be lack of fans and funds," he added.

Rathore was also confident that Khelo India will not only improve India's performance at international events, but also introduce a sporting culture.

The minister also asserted that developing sports infrastructure was also one of the prime objectives of the Khelo India Games.

"The National Programme for Development of Sports, in the form of the revamped Khelo India scheme, has received a massive boost in allocation. From Rs 158 crore in 2016-17, the allocation for the programme stands at Rs 575 crore for FY 18-19," he said.

"Khelo India will see a massive push towards development and upgradation of sports infrastructure in the country," he added.

Talking on the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) reluctance to allow the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) to conduct tests on cricketers, Rathore said: "Who is doing dope test on cricketers, it is not a problem for the ministry. What we want is all the sports and sportpersons should be free of doping."

"Sports Ministry wants every athlete to be dope tested. Otherwise the fans will be cheated and their confidence lost," he added.