The county’s sports sector on Friday received a budget of Rs3.47 billion during the fiscal year 2022-23 for twelve ongoing and seven new development schemes with Rs400 million being set aside for the Narowal Sports City project.
The total cost of the project is Rs2.9 billion and according to the budgetary documents, Rs2.25 billion have been spent so far on the project.
The federal government has increased the non-development sports budget by over 27 percent while Rs3.47 billion have been set aside for infrastructure development in the budget 2022-23 including the establishment of 250 mini sports complexes across the country, costing Rs1,000 million.
Similarly, Rs100 million have been set aside for developing facilities for next year’s South Asian Games.
An amount of Rs100 million has been allocated for installing electronic displays and scoring system, Rs10 million for constructing a swimming pool at the PSB Coaching Centre in Karachi while Rs1 million has been set aside for revamping the existing facilities at Quetta’s PSB Coaching Centre.
As regards the ongoing schemes, Rs531 million have been allocated for replacing/laying synthetic hockey turfs in seven cities and Rs465 million for rehabilitating and upgrading existing facilities at the PSC for holding the 2023 South Asian Games.
Similarly, Rs126.292 million were allocated for establishing a bio-mechanical lab at the PSC, Rs100 million for constructing and revamping roads, pavements, main gates, security systems, and landscaping of the PSC, and Rs50 million for purchasing sports gear and hiring foreign coaches to train Pakistan athletes.
Moreover, a fund of Rs125 million has been reserved for laying synthetic athletics track, sprinkling system, and floodlights at the PSB Coaching Centre, Karachi; Rs100 million for organizing national training camps at PSC to prepare athletes for international events; Rs100 million for upgrading existing facilities; Rs56 million for constructing PSB coaching center in Skardu (PC-II); Rs1 million for constructing a hostel for players at the PSB Coaching Centre, Karachi and Rs1 million for the construction of a pavilion at Multan’s Qilla Kohna Qasim Bagh Stadium.