New Delhi, Sept 15 (UNI) The Government today accepted the Olympic Task Force's recommendation of providing a stipend of Rs 50,000 per month to the elite athletes preparing for Tokyo Olympic, Asian Games or Common Wealth Games to meet pocket expenses.

   The Government has selected 152 elites under the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme where all the athletes will get benefit from the decision. The stipend will be paid with effect from September 1, 2017.

   Announcing the decision on social media, Union Sports Minister Col Rajyavardhan Rathore (Retd.) tweeted,"MYAS @IndiaSports announces Rs 50k/month pocket allowance for 152 elite athletes preparing for Tokyo/CWG/Asian Games. Athletes first, always!" "The allowance applies wef 1 Sep 2017 & is purely for pocket expenses of elite athletes. Committed to providing all resources to our champions," he said further. Moreover, the Governement is also getting in touch with all the athletes selected under TOP to get training & competition exposure plan and any further assistance required for preparation of prestigious competitions. Significantly, the TOP Scheme was launched in May 2015 with the objective of identifying and supporting potential medal prospects for 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games with special focused on Athletics, Archery, Badminton, Boxing, Wrestling and Shooting. UNI KU PY