New Delhi, Aug 26: In a move to give boost to sports in a big way, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today said the government may consider granting 100 per cent tax benefit to business houses for promotion of various sports activities. "The Finance Ministry may consider the suggestion for granting 100 per cent tax benefit to business houses for creation and maintenance of sports infrastructure, sponsoring sports championships, and for sponsoring sportspersons for participation in international sports meets," he said inaugurating the All India Sports Congress here.
He told a gathering of eminent sports personalities that he would convene a meeting of all the leading business houses to encourage them to substantially enhance their support to sports.
Besides acceding to the request to rename the existing sports development fund as Prime Minister's Sports Development Fund and to treat it on par with the Prime Minister's Relief Fund to attract more contributions, he also announced that sports bodies would be allowed to generate their own resources for maintenance, upgradation and creation of facilities and "no deduction will be made from their non-plan allocation".
Urging sportspersons to develop a "strong winner's instinct", Vajpayee said as in most developed and even in some developing countries, the subject of sports needed to become an integral part of the educational curriculum and effective steps should be taken in this direction. Bureau Report