Delhi Khel Mahakumbh to begin from Feb 13: Minister Ashish Sood

New Delhi, Feb 2 (PTI) Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood on Monday said that the Rekha Gupta government will launch ‘Delhi Khel Mahakumbh’ in the national capital from February 13, as the sports and youth affairs budget for the current fiscal has seen a threefold rise.

Addressing a press conference, Sood said the event will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, initially featuring seven disciplines – kabaddi, football, athletics, wrestling, basketball, volleyball and squash.

Over 20,000 players are expected to participate in the event, he added.

The minister said the government aims to position Delhi as a sports hub by expanding opportunities for young athletes and improving facilities across the city.

He said the current administration

has increased the sports and youth affairs budget threefold for 2025-26 after years of declining allocations, which affected infrastructure projects and maintenance of existing sports complexes.

Sports and youth activities remained neglected for several years, with continuous cuts in budget allocations, he added. While the sports budget stood at Rs 60 crore in 2021-22, it fell to Rs 41 crore in 2022-23 and further to Rs 26 crore in 2023-24 and 2024-25, he said.

The present government has increased the allocation threefold to Rs 76 crore for 2025-26, Sood said.

He also alleged that earlier governments limited Delhi’s participation in national sports programmes, and several activities were conducted only as formalities.

According to an official statement, Delhi Khel Mahakumbh, the month-long tournament, will be held in areas including Bawana, Vikaspuri and Najafgarh to ensure wider participation from different parts of the city.

Prize money has been announced for both team and individual events, while the official mascot of the games, ‘Ranveer’, symbolising youth energy and sportsmanship, was unveiled during the event. PTI SHB OZ OZ