Karnataka to Boost Sports with New Incentives

Mangaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that the state government will consider incentives like providing attendance for athletes representing Karnataka at state, national, and international levels.

Speaking at the inauguration of "Karnataka Kreedakoota 2025," organized by the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports and the district administration, Siddaramaiah emphasized the importance of robust infrastructure and encouragement for the growth of sports and athletes.

"Without the necessary platform and proper encouragement, the growth of sports and athletes is not possible. That is why our government will discuss and decide in the cabinet about providing attendance concessions and other incentives for athletes participating at the state, national, and international levels," he reiterated.

He assured all necessary support for athletes, coaches, and the sports department, urging them to bring medals at the Olympics for the state and the country. “Ask for funds or any facilities you need; we will provide them,” he said.

The Chief Minister announced an allocation of Rs 3 crore each in the next budget for upgrading the stadiums in Mangaluru and Udupi. He also spoke about 2 percent job reservation for athletes in all state government departments and a 3 percent reservation for uniformed services like police and forest departments.

Siddaramaiah further assured a cash reward of Rs 6 crore for Olympic medalists, along with incentives for those excelling at the Asian Games and national-level events. He encouraged athletes to make use of these initiatives to bring glory to Karnataka and India.

Legislative Assembly Speaker UT Khader, Olympic Association President K. Govindaraju, District In-Charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, MLCs Manjunath Bhandari and Ivan D’Souza and others were present.