KKL draws attention of PM to failures of Khelo India in state
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, September 04 2022:
Kangleipak Kanba Lup (KKL) Manipur has drawn attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards the failure of Khelo India programme in Manipur owing to its non-implementation due to indifference by the authority of state's Youth Affairs and Sports Department.
In a memorandum addressed to PMO on August 25, KKL Manipur secretary general Ngamkheingakpa Luwang stated that under the Khelo India programme, the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has allotted 16 Khelo India Centres for the state of Manipur.
But a top officer of the YAS Department has taken over the scheme as his personal fiefdom and without consulting Manipur Olympic Association or other state level sports association has made arbitrary allocation of sports disciplines to various districts.
For instance, he allotted football (his favourite sport) to seven Khelo India Centres and badminton to four with one discipline each of boxing, rowing, judo and basketball to remaining five centres, it alleged.
Mentioning that an objection in this regard has already been submitted to chief minister N Biren, KKL also claimed that interviews for selection of coaches for Khelo India scheme were held on June 12 but postponed by the said officer without fresh notification to accommodate a candidate who had failed to turn up on the scheduled date.
Furthermore, there is allegation that the officer had distributed Rs 5 lakh each to 16 Khelo India Centres only in the state, so there is also strong suspicion of the official being involved in graft, it added.
KKL continued that the officer has filled up only six posts of youth officers out of 54 posts lying vacant and there are also 75 posts of coaches waiting to be filled up.
As such, the officer helming the department is detrimental to the interest of sports in Manipur.
Considering this, the PM must impress upon the CM N Biren to transfer the officer from YAS Department, it further appealed.
KKL also pointed out construction of National Sports University (NSU) has been lying in a dormant state for five years since its foundation stone was laid in 2017.The present vice chancellor is more conspicuous by his absence from Imphal.
As his tenure is coming to an end, the PM must make the selection of next NSU VC an open one where the best talents could be incorporated, it demanded.