Any one who thought that the bespectacled P C Chidambaram was a man of intellectual pursuits bereft of appreciation for the rough and tumble of sports, would be forced to rethink their positions after the Union Budget announced yesterday. Not only did the finance minister increase the sports budget by more than Rs.250 crores, but he also provided a lot of tax sops for the manufacturers of sports goods.

With the world looking at India's preparations for the Commonwealth Games scheduled for 2010, the finance minister ensured that financial considerations are taken care of. Hence, the special budget for the games, with Rs.890 crore as plan outlay and Rs.221.81 crore as non-plan outlay. This is in addition to the normal sports budget of Rs.1,111.81 crores. 

The Commonwealth Games are scheduled to be held in New Delhi from 3rd to 14th October in 2010, and several thousand athletes from the nations of the erstwhile British Empire are expected to attend.

"To provide a fillip to the manufacturers of sports goods, I propose to reduce the duty on specified machinery from 7.5 per cent to five per cent. I also propose to exempt from duty specified raw materials for sports goods," Chidambaram said.

This would sound as a relief to indigenous manufacturers flooded with cheap Chinese imports., and may lead to reduced prices and better quality for made-in-India products.