Conditional grants for sports infrastructure missed

Kathmandu- Lack of coordination between the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Sports Council has deprived the provincial and local levels of the conditional grants meant for sports infrastructure development.

Due to a conflict between the Ministry and the Council the project plan to be submitted within the deadline set by the Ministry of Finance could not take place. Hence, the amount to be received under the heading of sports infrastructure development was nil, said Shiv Prasad Regmi, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

As per the proposal of the Province-Local Level Coordination Council small projects should be chosen by the provinces and local levels, the Ministry had proposed for budget to build sports infrastructure. Budget has been allocated for the ‘one municipality, one sport’, program for the past three years. However, due to the conflict between the Ministry and the Council, the program has been affected as it was too later to enter the plan in the Ministry-wise budget entry system.

This year the Ministry had decided to allow the local level to determine their own plan and to provide at least Rs. 1.255 million for it. “If the proposed amount had been received every local level would have received conditional grant for sports infrastructure development,” said Dr. Ganeshman Gurung, head of the planning branch of the ministry.