Only 31% SSA funds allocated for sports utilised; 9 states yet to spend a penny

The data shared by the government in Lok Sabha shows that there has been a 10% decline in the funds allocated for sports and physical education component of the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan

Published on: Mar 10, 2025, 18:18:09 IST

By Sanjay Maurya

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New Delhi: Indian states and Union Territories (UTs) utilised only ₹23,327.49 lakh, accounting for just 31% of the ₹72,924.69 lakh allocated under the sports and physical education component of the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) for the financial year 2024-25, according to the data shared by the central government with the Lok Sabha on Monday. Notably, nine states and UTs are yet to spend any of their allocated funds in FY 2024-25 ending on March 31.

Union minister of state for education Jayant Choudhary. (Sansad TV)

SSA is a shared scheme between the Centre and states supporting public schools with a funding ratio of 60:40. The scheme aims to ensure that all children have access to quality education in an equitable and inclusive classroom environment irrespective of region and category.

The data shared by minister of state (MoS) for education Jayant Choudhary in response to Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MP G Lakshminarayana shows that there has been a 10% decline in the funds allocated for sports and physical education component of the SSA from ₹81,242.68 lakh in 2023-24 to ₹72,924.69 lakh in 2024-25. The funds utilisation by states and UTs in FY 2023-24 stood at ₹64,194.31 lakh – 79% of the allocated amount.

Under sports and physical education component of SSA, there is a provision for grants for sports equipment for indoor and outdoor games in all government schools at the rate of ₹5,000 for primary schools, ₹10,000 for upper primary schools and up to ₹25,000 for secondary and senior secondary schools per annum.

“In addition, as per new norms of the scheme, an additional grant upto ₹25,000 per school is provided to schools in case at least two students of that school win the medal in Khelo India National school games competition,” Choudhary said.

According to the data, Goa was not allocated any funds for FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25, Bihar did not receive any budget for FY 2024-25. Barring these two states, all the remaining 34 states and UTs combined were allocated ₹72,924.69 lakh in FY 2024-25. However, nine states and UTs including Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and West Bengal have not utilised a single penny out of the allocated amount.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sanjay Maurya
Sanjay Maurya is a Principal Correspondent with Hindustan Times, where he covers education, with a focus on school and higher education, competitive examinations, education policy and governance. Working as part of the National Bureau, he is based in New Delhi and reports on the Ministry of Education and covers various statutory bodies like UGC, AICTE and NCTE and autonomous bodies like CBSE and NCERT. His reporting also tracks the implementation of key government reforms and policies from school education to higher education including in IITs, NITs, IIMs, central and state universities, and their impact on students and educational institutions. His reporting on the irregularities and rushed implementation of CBSE's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system for evaluation of Class 12 board exams 2026, triggered administrative action, leading to the transfer of the board's two senior-most officials and the constitution of a committee to probe alleged irregularities in procurement process of the system. He joined Hindustan Times in December 2024. Prior to that, he had a three-year stint at Careers360, where he reported on school and higher education, entrance examinations, admissions, rankings and various education policies involving universities and professional education bodies. Over the years, Maurya has reported extensively on major developments in India's education sector, including the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, reforms in the National Testing Agency (NTA) following the NEET-UG 2024 controversy, changes in school education, higher education regulation, and the evolution of entrance examinations such as NEET, JEE and CUET. He regularly produces data-driven and explanatory stories based on government documents, parliamentary proceedings, court records and official data. His focus remains on helping readers understand how education policies and institutional decisions affect millions of students, teachers and educational institutions across the country.Read More

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