THE BOARD OF Control for Cricket in India, which has been operating outside the purview of government control (though not political sway), will perforce have to register as a National Sports Federation now that the “gentleman’s game” has become an Olympic sport.
The matter of the BCCI’s “privileged status” was brought to the fore in the Lok Sabha on Monday when Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, responding to a query from Trinamool Congress MP Mala Roy, clarified that the Indian cricket board is NOT a recognised NSF.
Roy had asked whether the government intends to take control of big sports bodies such as the BCCI and the cash-strapped and All India Football Federation (under fire for a complete breakdown of governance) for their “proper and smooth functioning”, PTI reports.
“The BCCI is not recognised as a National Sports Federation,” Mandaviya noted, reiterating that NSFs are “voluntary bodies”, which are expected to follow “healthy management practices”.
It bears noting that the BCCI has not been a recognised NSF thus far as it is not reliant on government funding.
The National Sports Governance Act, which was passed in August this year, is expected to be implemented full-scale early next year.
The Act has a provision for a National Sports Board (NSB) to create a stringent system of accountability and all NSFs will have to attain NSB’s recognition for access to Central government funding.
While the cash awash BCCI has no requirement for Central funding, it will still have to register itself as an NSF once the new Act comes into effect given that cricket has become an Olympic sport, which is set for a debut in the 2028 Games in the T20 format.
The Ministry has already provided some relief to the Board when it comes to provisions related to the Right to Information Act that will be applicable on NSFs under the new act, PTI reports further. It has amended the RTI-related provision in the act, placing only those bodies under its ambit which rely on government grants and assistance.
The RTI has been a thorny issue for the BCCI, which has steadfastly opposed coming under it.
