Congress says ‘petty pilfering’ from National Sports Development Fund is discouraging sportspersons

The Congress connected Friday (May 22, 2026) said "petty pilfering" from the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) is discouraging the country's sportspersons astatine a clip erstwhile India hopes to big the Olympics.

In a station connected X, Congress wide caput Jairam Ramesh highlighted media reports however wealth donated to the NSDF were being utilized for sports complexes successful residences of IAS officers and payment associations.

"In August 2025, the Parliamentary Standing Committee connected Education, Women, Children, Youth, and Sports had flagged that funds donated to the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) were being utilized to money sports complexes successful IAS officers’ residences and payment associations," helium said.

Citing media reports, helium said a deeper probe uncovered the spanking sports facilities built for the officers. "These lavish projects were bankrolled by the aforesaid money which supports the Targeted Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) — the Government’s flagship task to enactment our finest athletes who basal a accidental to triumph an Olympic medal,” helium added.

"At a clip erstwhile the federation hopes to big the Olympics itself, specified petty pilfering lone discourage our sportspersons," Mr. Ramesh said. He said fixed the mode successful which funds person been used, it is unsurprising that donations to the NSDF person shrunk from ₹85.26 crore successful FY 2023-24 to ₹37.02 crore successful FY 2025-26.

The money is governed by a Council headed by the Union Sports Minister. "This is the aforesaid Parliamentary Committee that Mantri Pradhan had rejected and dismissed for having members of the Opposition. It is present for his workfellow successful the Ministry of Sports to instrumentality corrective enactment against the IAS officers’ lobby oregon to play petty politics," the Congress person said.