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‘HC verdict a Diwali gift to the youth’
Sports minister MS Gill, who has in his two years as sports minister initiated major steps to reform the sports administration in the country, termed the High Court verdict, to immediately implement its policy fixing the age limit and tenure of National Sports Federation (NSFs) chiefs, “as a Diwali gift to all the youth and sports persons of the country.”
Sports minister MS Gill, who has in his two years as sports minister initiated major steps to reform the sports administration in the country, termed the High Court verdict, to immediately implement its policy fixing the age limit and tenure of National Sports Federation (NSFs) chiefs, “as a Diwali gift to all the youth and sports persons of the country.”
He felt that that the thrust given by the HC will help in the coming years to provide a more clean and transparent sports governance, which will have a positive effect on India’s growth as a sporting nation.
Gill’s ministry had earlier played a big role in getting the Indian Olympic Association and all the federations under the ambit of RTI, despite stiff resistance from the sports officials.
Now that one more important hurdle has been cleared, the ministry’s next major step will be to bring in a comprehensive sports law, which will be put up before the cabinet, and then sent to Parliament for approval.
“We have studied sports laws of 30 countries, included that of the USA, and found that we are lagging far behind. My ministry’s next endeavour, on which we have been working, will be to enact a sports law which will cover all vital aspects needed for transparent sports governance in the country,” a beaming Gill told HT after the HC verdict.
It is also a big victory for noted lawyer and petitioner Rahul Mehra, who has been working tirelessly to hold the NSFs accountable for the ills plaguing sport.
The ministry pointed out that 24 out of 62 NSFs including athletics, tennis, boxing and archery bodies are not following government guidelines.
