Babus paid more than athletes in Beijing Olympics
Sidharth
by Eklavya Atray , December 20, 2008
NEW DELHI: Indian athletes may have brought home the country's maiden
gold and two bronze medals from the Olympics, but it was the
bureaucrats and politicians accompanying them who were paid more by
the government during their stay in Beijing.
In a reply to a query filed by DNA under the Right to Information
(RTI) Act, the Union youth affairs and sports ministry said that while
athletes and coaches were paid $50 each as daily pocket allowance, the
babus and netas who went to Beijing as part of the official delegation
received $75 a day.
The pocket allowance was over and above the spending on boarding and
lodging. For the sports contingent these expenses were taken care of
by the Beijing Olympic Committee while for the delegation, they were
borne by the Indian embassy.
Among the people who received $75 a day were minister of state for
youth affairs and sports MS Gill and Lok Sabha members Vijay Bahuguna
and Krishna Tirath. The other members of the official delegation were
Rajya Sabha member Bhubaneshwar Kalita and several bureaucrats,
including sports secretary Sudhir Nath, two joint secretaries, and
Sports Authority of India director-general Sayan Chatterjee.
The ministry said Rs12.19 lakh was spent on the travel of the 13
bureaucrats and politicians and arrangements for their lodging and
boarding were made by the Indian embassy at Beijing.
"We used to get an allowance of $50 a day, which is hardly anything
abroad...one hardly gets a few decent meals in it. The problem is much
worse at the Asiad, where players get no allowance," said Commonwealth
boxer Virender Singh said.
Asiad medal-winning runner Bharat Kumar, said, " If only players could
get better allowances, they may change their lifestyle a little."