'Pocket allowance' cleared for SAF, AAG

By Our Sports Reporter

NEW DELHI, OCT. 11. The Ministry of Sports has realised that it has a mission to complete.

Foremost on its agenda was to lift the standard of the Indian sport ``to reach world level of excellence in major competitive events such as Olympics and Asian Games''. And, the solution - a daily pocket allowance of 20 dollars, even in the South Asian Federation (SAF) Games and the Afro-Asian Games.

After a two-hour-long meeting with the officials of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the various national sports federations here on Thursday, the Union Sports Minister, Ms. Uma Bharti, said that the Government has decided to increase the incentives for the sportspersons at various levels of competition. Besides the obligatory financial help the Government provides during the Olympic Games, the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games, the Ministry of Sports decided to include all future SAF and Afro-Asian Games into the scheme. While the Afro- Asian Games have been indefinitely postponed, the Islamabad SAF Games have been rescheduled to new dates - March 30 to April 8.

Among other several issues, the Sports Ministry has doubled the financial assistance for holding national championships. Earlier, the state associations were given a grant of Rs. one lakh (sub- junior), Rs. two lakh (junior) and Rs. three lakh (senior) for conducting national championships. This amount has been doubled.

Ms. Bharti said that the IOA and all the national federations have extended support to the amended guidelines, which are aimed at providing maximum possible assistance. Moreover, the Government was keen to put sports in the concurrent list, ensure strict adherence of the terms of office bearers and make sports dope free.

As for the doping in sports, a committee headed by the IOA President, Mr. Suresh Kalmadi, has been formed which will submit its report in two months.

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Section  : Sport
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