Ajay Maken defends National Sports Bill

New Delhi, Aug 31 (ANI): Defending the proposed National Sports (Development) Bill, Sports Minister Ajay Maken on Wednesday called for transparency in the federations overseeing various games in the country.

Asserting that the government did not want to curb the autonomy of these institutions with the proposed Bill, Maken said federations would not be pressurized to include lawmakers into their management.

"We are in no way trying to control any of the sports federations or sports bodies. We do not intend to have our own representatives in any way in any of the management of these sports bodies," Maken told mediapersons here.

"We do not want to direct them, whether they would like to take Ajay Maken as one of the members or some of the other MPs (Members of Parliament) and ministers. What just we want them, is to be transparent and efficient in their functioning," he added.

He also criticized the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for refusing to accept the proposed transparency bill of the government.

However, Maken maintained the BCCI was indeed a recipient of government concessions in areas such as land and exemptions or concessions vis-?-vis income tax, entertainment tax etc.

"We have many sports which take funds from the government indirectly by the way of tax exemption, by the way of free land to them. Can the BCCI or the cricket body tell me how much they had to pay for Ferozeshah Kotla land? Can the BCCI tell me, can their people tell me, they have constructed a beautiful stadium in Dharamsala, how much they had to pay to the Himachal Government?" said Maken.

"The land is free, the land is the most important thing. When they are getting free land from the government, when they are getting concessions by way of Income Tax and other tax concessions from the government, can they tell me do they have to pay entertainment tax when they hold matches? Can they tell me whether they have to pay for the police to provide them security in the matches?" he added.

Maken stressed that people of India had a 'right' to know how the BCCI was utilising the funds from its overflowing coffers.

"We are saying, after all, you are earning money from the public, you are earning money from the people, you are earning money from the fans, you are earning money from the viewers, you are earning money through telecast rights. People have a right to know how you are spending their money," said Maken.

"After all, you are sending a team that represents India as a nation. Every Indian citizen has a right to know how you are spending the money," he added.

The Sports Bill seeks to limit the tenure of all sports administrators and bring the federations under the scope of India's landmark of legislation Right to Information (RTI) Act that enables a citizen to ascertain and monitor almost all projects, programmes and institutions.

The mooted Bill aims to reserve at least 25 percent posts for former players in respective federations and not non-players who manage to sneak in wielding money power. (ANI)