Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, on Monday, said that he will not hesitate to sack his officials if they delay sanction of incentives for athletes, but also warned against false accusations.
Speaking at a felicitation function for the Commonwealth Games (CWG) medal winners, here, Rathore said that there was no dearth of money in Indian sports, but the funds will have to be used for justified purposes, by both the athletes as well as the federations.
“The officials in sports ministry and Sports Authority of India (SAI) have been tasked to attend to your requirements and resolve your issues at the earliest. At any point in time, if I hear that sportspersons are having issues in getting these incentives and funds, there are few heads that will roll,” the minister said.
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“However, before you (athlete) make any accusation, please be very sure that there was an error on our part and not on your part. There was this case that came to me, an athlete was complaining that he or she was not getting the incentive money. I was about to suspend one of my officers, but later found out that the money was allotted to that athlete a year ago,” he said.
India won 66 medals (26 gold, 20 silver, 20 bronze) in the Gold Coast CWG. In total, 70 athletes won medals, counting the mixed team and doubles events in some disciplines. Rathore gave away the financial incentives to the medal winners in the presence of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President Narinder Batra.
Most of the top athletes, including M.C. Mary Kom, Sushil Kumar, Saina Nehwal, P.V. Sindhu, Mirabai Chanu, Neeraj Kumar, Manu Bhaker, Anish Bhanwala and Jitu Rai turned up. The likes of Manika Batra and Heena Sidhu did not come because of their prior engagements.
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The individual gold winners received ₹30 lakh each, while the silver and bronze medallists got ₹20 lakh and ₹10 lakh, respectively. All the medal winners of team events got a varying amount of money in different disciplines.
Rathore also said that the functioning of the IOA and the National Sports Federations has improved, but the funds allocated to them, by the ministry, should be properly spent.
“I am getting a very positive sense from Batra. He is already changing things within the IOA. The way IOA used to function, that is not going to happen. Similarly, some of the NSF heads are brilliant and they are doing a very good job. We will work in close coordination with them (IOA and NSFs). However, each NSF or their coaches need to justify with the logic that every penny being spent is being used to its optimum.”
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“There is no dearth of resources in India and we are ready to open our finances for the use of the athletes, but these spendings will have to be justified,” Rathore, an Olympic silver medallist shooter, said.
The minister said that strong performance by the Indian athletes at international events also reflects the soft power status of the country.
“When the National Flag is unfurled and the National Anthem is sung, anywhere in the world (in a sports event), every Indian feels proud and it also shows the soft power status of the country.”
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“I have always said that the Indians have tremendous potential to do well at the international stage, even in strength-based disciplines. I don’t agree with the concept that Indians are good at only skill-based games. I want to ensure that you get every facility that is required to be provided to you,” said Rathore.
Earlier in the morning, the medal winners interacted with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence. They also interacted with President Ram Nath Kovind, later in the day.
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