6 crore asked by the sports council
3 crore has been sanctioned by the Finance Department
Thiruvananthapuram: The State Sports Council has requested Rs. But the finance department has sanctioned only three crores. With this, the council is planning to prepare training camps, sports equipment, jerseys and track suits, travel and food expenses for the sports teams at half the cost. The high-level meeting held yesterday has decided to participate the team at the minimum cost.
Many sports associations have been conducting training camps for about forty days. Only one and a half lakh rupees was given to the associations as advance fund. There are associations that have spent more than five lakhs from their own hands for the camps with the participation of eighteen players in the team. Many associations have not received grants to send teams to national championships in previous years.
At the same time, the minister’s suggestion that only those participating in the Games should participate in the camp has also been controversial. Associations are asking what they can do to train each other in team games. The council has not yet given money to the associations to buy sports equipment to participate in the competitions. It was also considered to reduce the daily allowance of the sportspersons.
The council has assigned the respective associations to purchase the jerseys and track suits of the Kerala team to participate in the games. It is explained that this has been assigned to the associations because a tender will be required to buy all of them together and the procedures will take days to complete. After the council negotiates with the jersey manufacturing companies and finalizes the design, it will be procured through the associations. It has been informed that the money will be given to the council associations. But the council has directly purchased the Kerala costumes including saris for the stars participating in the opening ceremony.