The Uttarakhand cabinet approved implementing the sports code in the hill state. The cabinet gave its consent to enforce sports code in Dehradun on Monday. With this, many of those who have firmly ensconced themselves in the various sports federations of the state will have to vacate their seats.
Uttarakhand government’s spokesperson Madan Kausik said, “The central government had asked us to implement sports code and we have decided to act on this. The code will bring transparency in the functioning of sports federations.”
The sports code ensures fixed term of president to a maximum of 12 year and that of a secretary/treasurer to 8 years. The age limit for each office bearer has been fixed to 70 years. Staff of sports ministry and department under it is barred from holding any elective post. Other government servants can serve in sports federation for a maximum of one term or four year.
Union Minister of State Youth Affairs & Sports Rajyawardhan Rathore had dispatched a letter to different states on 4 May this year asking the state governments to implement sports code at the district and state level sports federations.
In his letter Rajyawardhan Rathore said, “Since the National Sports Development Code of India enunciates the basic universal principals of good governance, ethics and fair play required for sports development, I hope that you look into the matter personally and instruct the Chief Secretary and Sports Secretary of your state to take immediate steps in this connection.”
“This will go a long way to free the state/district level sports bodies, which are run as fiefdom by a few bureaucrats/ politicians, etc and contribute significantly for the development of sports in the country,” his letter read.