The Union Minister for Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports recently initiated revised sports schemes and websites, including the Cash Awards, National Welfare and Pension to sportspersons, Web Portal for Schemes of Department of Sports (dbtyas-sports.gov.in), and the National Sports Development Fund website (nsdf.yas.gov.in).
Amendments in the Schemes
The updates to these schemes make them directly applicable to any individual sportsperson. Prior to this change, proposals were only received through Sports Federations/SAI and usually took over a year to process. Now applicants can apply online for a cash award within six months from the closing date of their particular event. The pension benefits under this revision have also been broadened to include athletes of Deaflympics.
Web Portal Implementation
To implement these features, the Department of Sports has developed the web portal dbtyas-sports.gov.in. This online tool will allow athletes to apply for benefits in real-time. It uses an OTP for authentication sent to the registered mobile number of the sportsperson, thus making physical submission of applications obsolete. The portal will also generate reports and manage data of sportspersons.
National Sports Development Fund
The Department of Sports has also launched a dedicated website for the ‘National Sports Development Fund’ (NSDF) nsdf.yas.gov.in. This fund, which relies on contributions from various sources such as governments, PSUs, private companies, and individuals, aims at promoting and developing sports nationwide. Contributions can be made directly towards players, sports facilities, and events via the portal. The corpus of the NSDF is utilized for the TOP scheme, and infrastructure development by eminent sports persons and organizations.
About the Amended Schemes
The Sports Fund for Pension to Meritorious Sportspersons scheme aims to provide lifelong monthly pensions to medal winners in various events like Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championships, and Paralympic Games. This is applicable after their retirement from active sports or at the age of 30 years, whichever comes later. The pension is contingent upon their achievement in these games and will be disbursed once they attain the age of 30, continuing throughout their lifetime.
The Scheme of Cash Awards to Medal Winners in International Sports Events and their Coaches was introduced in 1986 and revised in 2020 with the goal of encouraging high-achieving sportspersons and motivating the younger generation to take up sports. The award is applicable to sports disciplines in Olympic Games/ Asian Games/ Commonwealth Games and also includes Chess and Billiards & Snooker under its purview.
Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay National Welfare Fund for Sportspersons
The Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay National Welfare Fund for Sportspersons (PDUNWFS) was established in 1982 and revised in 2016. It aims at providing assistance to outstanding sportspersons who are living in destitute circumstances and have brought honor to the country through sports. The fund provides assistance to athletes who are injured during their training or competitions and also those disabled from strenuous training or requiring medical treatment. The provision of pension has been removed from this scheme as there is already a Scheme of Pension for Meritorious Sportspersons in place.
