New Delhi: The daily diet allowance given to athletes in the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) has been increased to Rs 300 from Rs 75 after the forces made a demand to the Modi government over concerns that the players weren’t getting sufficient nutrition, ThePrint has learnt.
Apart from the four-fold increase in the allowance, the sportspersons have also been given the services of dietitians to monitor their regimen, said a source in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
The move comes after all the forces under the CAPF presented a proposal to the home ministry.
The home ministry has sanctioned a daily allowance of Rs 300 to all sportsmen in season days (closer to championships) and Rs 275 for non season days, said a source in the ministry who didn’t wish to be named.
The CAPFs include the CISF, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Assam Rifles (AR), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Security Guard (NSG), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
The CAPF athletes have been receiving the increased allowance for the last few months, said the home ministry official.
The daily allowance is in addition to Rs 3,200 given to the CAPF personnel for their monthly ration.
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‘Performance was suffering’
The CISF official told ThePrint, “The request was made because Rs 75 was not sufficient to fulfill the dietary requirements of the sportsmen. It costs much more than that to get them nutritious food including poultry products and meat.”
“Since they could not get enough nutrients, their performance started to suffer. It was a much needed move,” said the official.
The CAPF athletes take part in international competitions as well as the All India Police Athletic Championship which sees participation from security personnel from across the forces.
“This time CISF secured the 5th rank in the last All India Police Athletic Championship wherein 28 teams had participated. Punjab Police had secured the first rank,” said a second CISF official.
“Our players have represented us in several international games and had made us proud, so it is our responsibility to take care of their health, most importantly their dietary requirements,” he said.
“Earlier we were giving this allowance from our budget which is why it was limited as we could only spare as much. But now since the government has decided to pay the allowance, it will be good for our sportspersons,” added the second CISF official.
A CPRF official said, “It has made a huge difference after the allowance was increased since the players are now getting nutritious food and guidance from health experts, something which is required for them to stay fit and healthy.”
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