Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, headed by Dr MS Gill, has officially released the details of the money sanctioned by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to train coaches, athletes both in India as well as abroad and giving exposure to the athletes in various international events in order to prepare them for 19th Commonwealth Games that was held in New Delhi from October 3-14.
This money is in addition to the Rs 642 crore to conduct the games and another Rs 400 crore sanctioned by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on direction from PMO four days before the start of the games to take care of contigency expenditure incurred by the organizing committee.
According to sources within the Indian Olympic Association India lost more then Rs1600 crore.
Government sanctioned Rs. 678 crores, over a period of two-and-a-half years for training, foreign exposure, sports and medical equipment, upgradation of training centres, as against around Rs. 40 crores per year earlier.
"Over 1140 players of 18 sports disciplines were trained by 170 Indian coaches and 30 Foreign Coaches. Rs. 450/550 per day, per athlete, diet and food supplements provided, doubling past provisions," says the note issued by the sports ministry.
The entire expenditure, including air travel for all the sportspersons (including domestic travels in India) for coaching camps/competitions from the funds provided by the government including the money spent on 780 support personnel, i.e. sports analysts, doctors, physiologists, psychologists, physiotherapists, masseurs exclusively attached with each team," a source in the sports ministry told rediff.com.
The sportspersons had in all 755 days of training in last two-and-a-half years. This included 530 days of intensive training in India and 225 days of training and competition abroad.
"3760 players (repeat visits included) were sent abroad for competition and training. Rs. 95 crores was provided for participation of athletes, in competitions and trainings abroad. For training and competitions abroad (repeat visits included) expenditure incurred Rs. 20 crores for 596 shooters, Rs. 6.7 crores 411 badminton players, Rs. 5.9 crore for 365 wrestlers, Rs. 5.3 crore for 325 table tennis players, Rs 3.9 crore for 278 athletes, Rs. 2.9 crore for 154 squash players, Rs. 2.9 crore for 233 tennis players, Rs. 2.8 crores for 187 archers, Rs. 1.5 crores for 116 boxers, Rs. 1.3 crore for 74 swimmers and other sports disciplines," the note said.
In addition to this Rs. 2.7 crores provided to provide amunition to the shooters, and 4 elite shooters provided about Rs. 2 crore each for training abroad. Ten training centres for Commonwealth Teams upgraded to International standards. Reward money to medal winners doubled.
Sources in the Organizing Committee said major part of the money released for foreign trips of the key officials involved in the Commonwealth Games who kept on hopping from one country to another in the name of studying the venues and security etc.
A Group of Ministers (GoM), headed by Jaipal Reddy, will look into this aspect while examining details of money being siphoned off by the vested interests.
