CHENNAI: A week after the Equestrian Federation of India sent a letter to the sports ministry, asking to be exempt from certain provisions of the sports code, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday reiterated in the parliament that all National Sports Federations (NSFs) will have to adhere to the code.Responding to a question by Trinamool Congress MP Sunil Kumar Mondal, Rijiju replied that all NSFs must comply with the code to be eligible for recognition and financial assistance. His statement comes a couple of days after the Indian Golf Union’s request for interim recognition was turned down.
“This ministry has notified the National Sports Development Code of India (NSDCI) 2011 effective from 31/01/2011 to ensure transparency and accountability in the functioning of National Sports Federations for the healthy development of sports. As per the NSDCI, NSFs are required to follow democratic and healthy management practices which require them to ensure greater accountability and transparency at all levels; adopt impartial and transparent selection procedures; adhere to age and tenure restrictions of office bearers; adopt and follow the basic universal principles of good governance in sports; adopt proper accounting procedures at all levels and produce annual financial statements; prevent age fraud and sexual harassment of women; comply with the provisions of the Right to Information Act; and hold elections as per model election guidelines issued by the government,” Rijiju said.
Responding to another question by Shiv Sena MP Hemant Godse, Rijiju revealed that the government had prescribed model election guidelines to be followed by the NSFs as per the sports code. “Normally, elections are held by the NSFs at the intervals prescribed under the by-laws of the concerned NSFs. In order to ensure that the NSFs function in a democratic manner, Government has prescribed model election guidelines to be followed by the NSFs for their elections which has been made an integral part of the National Sports Development Code of India 2011 (NSDCI). NSDCI, inter-alia contains instructions on democratic and healthy management practices, age and tenure limits of office bearers, holding of elections as per model election guidelines devised by the Government,” he replied.
Rijiu’s statements suggest that every federation will have to comply with the code without exception. There have been issues regarding recognition in recent weeks when several national sports federations have been asked to adhere to NSDCI or lose recognition. The EFI too had sent in a request for an extension of its recognition that’s ending in August despite their inability to comply with certain clauses in the code due to its peculiar nature. The individual and club votes are also major issues in the EFI. As revealed by this daily a couple of days ago, the state associations are not too happy with the situation.
Rijiju also said that information was being collected from the NSFs for the purpose of granting recognition.
REA letter to Govt
The Rajasthan Equestrian Association wrote a letter to the sports minister asking them to ensure that the EFI followed the sports code. “Over a decade, the States have been raising various issues for equal status and more transparency in the working of the Federation but it has not been heard,” the letter, signed by the body’s chief Raghuvendra Singh Dundlod, said. “They had six years to change the statutes and streamline the system... Now they ask for 5 more years, this extension is not justified.”