MAPUSA
Sports Minister Ramesh Tawadkar on Tuesday assured the Goa Legislative Assembly that the State government will clear around Rs 19 lakh in pending prize money owed to sportspersons since 2023 within a month, following scrutiny of the claims.
Tawadkar also assured the House that the system for disbursing prize money would be streamlined to ensure that sportspersons who win competitions receive their awards in the same year, instead of having to wait for several years.
He was responding to an issue raised by BJP MLA Nilesh Cabral during Question Hour over the delay in payment of prize money to sportspersons.
Cabral sought details on the pending payments and raised concerns over the delay in rewarding athletes who had represented the State and won honours in various competitions.
He stressed the need for the government to ensure that sportspersons are not made to wait for their legitimate prize money after bringing recognition to Goa.
Tawadkar said the pending amount would be released after the claims and supporting documents were scrutinised.
He assured the House that the government would take steps to expedite the process and clear the outstanding dues within a month.
RGP MLA Viresh Borkar also pressed the minister for a firm timeframe for settling the pending payments. He sought an assurance that sportspersons would not continue to face delays in receiving prize money due to procedural issues.
