JOIN US'I am confident of pushing the bill'
Why the legislation?
The sports federations need to be brought under the ambit of the RTI for greater accountability. Since they are sending teams outside India representing the country, they should be answerable to all Indians. Their accounts must be transparent.
The bill has brought BCCI into sharp focus in the entire controversy. BCCI says it is not funded by government and, hence, cannot be controlled?
The proposed bill is aimed at making sports bodies more transparent and efficient and not to take control of the national sports federations. BCCI must be answerable to all Indian citizens as the Central Government provides tax exemptions and land free of cost for stadia. BCCI does not pay entertainment tax nor does it foot the security bill during matches. So people have a right to know what is happening inside BCCI. Let them point out any clause which is intrusive, I will drop it. But, their finances must come under RTI Act.
Does this not lead to indirect control of sports bodies?
There is no question of it. We don’t intend to have our own representatives on the managements of any of the sports bodies; we don’t want to direct them.
Would such a bill have prevented the Commonwealth Games organisation fiasco?
My attempt is to prevent scams like CWG. Had the bill been in place before the Commonwealth Games, we would not have had so many embarrassments.
Will the bill ensure more corporate funding of Indian sports?
Corporates are ready to pump in money into sports bodies provided there is
transparency on spending.
At present, they are not sure whether the money they invest would be spent on sportspersons or sports administrators or on foreign junkets of officials. That is why it is very important to have transparency in functioning.
What’s your next move?
We will hold consultations with the ministers to elicit their specific opposition to the bill and address those issues to the extent possible. I am confident that the bill will get their approval the next time around.
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