MAPUSA
Sports Minister Govind Gaude informed the Goa Legislative Assembly on Thursday that 80 per cent of the funds allocated to sports associations have already been sanctioned, with the remaining 20 per cent to be released upon submission of utilization certificates.
"We have focused on accountability. For the first time, we have released 80 per cent of the funds to sports associations. This was never done before. The balance 20 per cent of the funds will be released after utilization certificates are submitted," Gaude stated. He further noted that, for the first time, sports associations have started producing these certificates.
Gaude was responding to concerns raised by Opposition MLAs regarding unpaid volunteers and medal winners from the National Games 2023. He revealed that 3,380 volunteers, categorized as general and sports-specific, were engaged during the games and placed in different functional areas.
"During the scrutiny and verification, we noticed certain discrepancies over the mismatch of volunteers’ bank account mandates. Some volunteers submitted their friends’ and relatives’ bank accounts," Gaude explained. Consequently, the processing of honorarium payments for some volunteers was put on hold pending clarification of their bank account details.
The Sports Minister assured the House that medal winners would receive Rs 3 lakh, Rs 2 lakh, and Rs 1 lakh for gold, silver, and bronze medals, respectively. Additionally, their coaches would be awarded Rs 30,000, Rs 20,000, and Rs 10,000 for gold, silver, and bronze medals, respectively. "As mentioned earlier in this House, the prize money will be paid before Ganesh Chaturthi," Gaude said.
Expressing concern over the delay in payments to volunteers and medal winners, Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai argued that the delay undermines their efforts and may discourage future participation. He noted that the prize money, declared in 2010, had not been adjusted for inflation, suggesting it should be Rs 10 lakh, Rs 7 lakh, and Rs 5 lakh for gold, silver, and bronze medals, respectively. Sardesai also pointed out that certificates of merit had yet to be issued to the winners.
Aldona MLA Carlos Ferreira echoed these concerns, urging the government to pay volunteers promptly to maintain their trust and ensure their future participation.
Gaude assured the House that efforts were being made to resolve the issues and fulfill the commitments to the volunteers and medal winners.
