Union minister for sports Mani Shankar Aiyar has criticised the focus on New Delhi as the hub of all major international events held in India, even as he termed the Rs 5000-crore expenditure for the 2010 Commonwealth Games a waste, given that the annual budget of his ministry is only Rs 766 crore.
Aiyar said the current fiscal’s sports budget of Rs 766 crore is inadequate. He blamed the Indian Olympic Association for pushing the Commonwealth Games extravaganza. “When we need to focus on budding and promising talents, others are talking of a week-long show called the Commonwealth Games for which the expenditure will be over Rs 5,000 crore,” he said.
He also defended the plans for a proposed watchdog for the sector, the Sports Regulatory Authority of India.
“Today, if anybody has a complaint against the management of any federation he or she has to lodge the complaint with the same management,” he said.
Reacting to reports that the Asian and International Olympic Committees have told the Indian Olympic Association that the creation of a regulator would lead to problems, Aiyar said: “Why are the IOA people getting panicky over the issue and meeting only among themselves? I welcome them to join me,” he said.