NEW DELHI: A week after the Equestrian Federation of India sent a letter to the Sports Ministry, asking to be exempt from certain provisions of the National Sports Code, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday reiterated in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) that all national sports federations (NSFs) will have to adhere to the code.
Rijiju, who was responding to a question by Trinamool Congress MP Sunil Kumar Mondal, stated that all NSFs must comply with the code to be eligible for recognition and financial assistance, New Indian Express reports. 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.”
After his comments in Parliament, the ministry released the following statement related to “functioning of sports associations”:
“Government of India deals only with the national level sports federations (NSFs) and grants recognition to them to become eligible to receive financial as well as other forms of assistance. A list of 56 NSFs recognised by the Government for different sports disciplines is given in the annexure.
“Normally, elections are held by the NSFs at the intervals prescribed under the bye-laws of the concerned NSFs. In order to ensure that 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, etc.
“From the year 2010, the Government has introduced a system of annual recognition procedure for the NSFs, under which annual recognition is granted to those NSFs which comply with the provisions of NSDCI including holding of elections in time.”
LIST OF RECOGNISED NATIONAL SPORTS FEDERATIONS
1. All India Chess Federation
2. All India Football Federation
3. All India Sports Council of the Deaf
4. All India Tennis Association
5. Amateur Baseball Federation of India
6. Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India
7. Amateur Soft Tennis Federation of India
8. Athletic Federation of India
9. AtyaPatya Federation of India
10. Badminton Association of India
11. Ball Badminton Federation of India
12. Basketball Federation of India
13. Boxing Federation of India
14. Bridge Federation of India
15. Cycle Polo Association of India
16. Cycling Federation of India
17. Equestrian Federation of India
18. Fencing Association of India
19. Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India
20. Handball Federation of India
21. Hockey India
22. Indian Body Builders Federation
23. Indian Kayaking & Canoeing Association
24. Indian PencakSilat Federation
25. Indian Rugby Football Union
26. Judo Federation of India
27. Karate Association of India
28. Kho-Kho Federation of India
29. Kudo International Federation India
30. Mallakhamb Federation of India
31. Netball Federation of India
32. Paralympic Committee of India
33. Indian Polo Association
34. Roll Ball Federation of India
35. Roller Skating Federation of India
36. Rowing Federation of India
37. School Games Federation of India
38. Sepaktakraw Federation of India
39. Shootingball Federation of India
40. Softball Association of India
41. Special Olympic Bharat
42. Squash Racket Federation of India
43. Swimming Federation of India
44. Table Tennis Federation of India
45. Tennikoit Federation of India
46. Tennis Ball Cricket Federation of India
47. Ten-Pin Bowling Federation of India
48. Billiards and Snooker Federation of India
49. National Rifle Association of India
50. Indian Triathlon Federation
51. Tug-of-War Federation of India
52. Volleyball Federation of India
53. Indian Weightlifting Federation,
54. Wrestling Federation of India
55. Wushu Association of India
56. Yachting Association of India
