Parliamentary panel calls SAI critically under-funded, slams India's poor Olympic show
The Committee, headed by Congress' Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh, observed that SAI's financial health is crucial to the country's international medal performance and urged the Sports Ministry to not just increase the allocation but also have a targetted approach towards those sports in which India is likely to win more medals.
"....identify with clinical precision few sporting events in which we have got best chance to win medals and divert most of the resources at hand in nurturing the talents in such sports so that they reach international standards and win medals for the country," it noted.
The committee, which also includes cricketer and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh, and BJP's Sambit Patra and Bansuri Swaraj among others, expressed "grave" concern over the shortage of staff and low funding of SAI.
"The Committee is contrained (sic) to observe that the budget of SAI is critically low...more national Centres of Excellence all over the country are required. This obviously needs higher budgetary allocation for the SAI.
"...about 45 per cent of sanctioned posts in the Authority are presently lying vacant. The fact that these shortfalls in staff are being managed through contractual appointment may at best be only an ad hoc arrangement.
"Substantial staff crunch in coaching and scientific cadres is indeed very alarming as it substantially undermines the coaching of athletes and jeopardize their chances to win medals," it pointed out.
The panel "heard the views of Sports Secretary, and SAI representatives in its meeting held on June 6".
It commended the recruitment drive to fill up these vacancies but asked the sports ministry to complete the process in the next six months and "furnish an Action Taken Report."
While appreciating the sports ministry's efforts, the panel stated that the achievements on ground in terms of medals won in the major international sports events like Olympics are far from satisfactory.
"...even though the medal tally in international sporting events has improved compared to the past, we still need to assiduously work on it. It is extremely painful that we being a country of approximately 1.4 billion populations could not win even a single gold medal in the last Olympics in 2024 and most of the Olympics before that," it stated.
"...there is some gap or deficiency at the policy level in this regard...The Committee notes with appreciation that efforts of the Ministry and the corporate contribution in the development of sports ecosystem in the country is showing of late, some positive results." Concerns around Khelo India
The panel also noted with "concern" that during the last two financial years, the funds for government's flagship Khelo India Scheme have been diverted to National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs) of SAI.
"This diversion has denied precious funds of Rs 38.79 crores to the Khelo India Scheme. This is more alarming as 122.30 crore of allocated funds under this scheme has also been returned to the Consolidated Fund of India," it observed.
"...such practice of diversion of funds from one central scheme to another is not a healthy one as it reflects poor estimation, planning and implementation on the part of a Central Scheme."
The Committee revealed that the Khelo India Scheme has been approved by
the cabinet from 2021-22 to 2025-26. It recommended that the scheme be embedded in the SAI's operational structure thereafter.
"As such, the current Khelo India Scheme is operational till 31st March 2026. The Committee notes that the lapsing of the Khelo India scheme offers the department an opportunity to permanently embed the Khelo India scheme in the organizational structure of SAI and to create dedicated staff positions within SAI to carry out the functions of the Khelo India scheme.
"Accordingly, the Committee recommends that the budget for the Sports
Department be sustained and that the SAI take over the existing responsibilities of
Khelo India, including the disbursal of funds to other government agencies," it stated.
The report also said that the ministry has acknowledged that an amount of Rs. 19.50 crore was allocated for play-field development under the Khelo India Scheme but has not been spent "due to lack of proposal from eligible entities".
"The Committee in this regard recommends initiating a consultation with the 'eligible entities' and try to find out the lack of enthusiasm on their part for this component and properly address their concerns, if any. The Committee further recommends furnishing an ATR (Action Taken Report) in this matter."
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