CWG'10 will be a big success, hopes Kamalesh Sharma

"I have confidence that the infrastructure for the Games will be ready in time and the Games will be a big success. It is for the organising committee to attend matters connected with the preparations of the Games," Sharma said. Sharma was speaking to the reporters on the eve of his tour of India, during which he will meet the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and also hold discussions with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal.

Sharma will also attend a seminar on the future of Commonwealth Games and participate in a Commonwealth Writers' Conference in India. "Commonwealth Games is the flagship of the organisation and I am sure that it will be successfully organised," Sharma said. "India has also indicated to deploy a Sports Development Adviser," Sharma added.

India, he said, had suggested that every country which hosts Commonwealth Games should deploy a sports development adviser for three to four years so that it can improve the co-ordination and contribute to all the member-states. He said India has also doubled its contribution to the Commonwealth Media Development Fund (CMDF) to train the journalists.

Sharma also mentioned that India has been one of the largest contributors to the Commonwealth in general and particularly to the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC) as well as the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP). "India has strongly supported the creation of a Network of Election Management Bodies," he said, adding that Election Commissioners' Office is the pivotal institution in all the democracies because of the responsibility it carries for transfer of power with authority and credibility.

Sharma said India has also been closely linked with the Commonwealth-Connect programme. At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta, India donated about one million pounds for that purpose. "A lot of projects have been done under it," he said. Sharma stated that Singh has also indicated India would be "very supportive as we go forward operationalising the project."