Sports budget stays static: Amount announced in budget will be spent on ongoing projects

ISLAMABAD: No new sports project or scheme is on cards for the next financial year with development and non-development budgets staying static in the proposed federal budget 2019-20 announced Tuesday.

The federal government has allocated Rs1002.261m as the non-development budget for the next fiscal year while another amount of Rs339.958 million has been earmarked as the development expenditures for the next financial year.

Almost all the development amount would be spent on the on-going projects and on those development schemes where no or little work was initiated during last year. There has been no headway on all the schemes announced last year following arrests made by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in connection with the Narowal Mega Sports Complex-the brain child of former Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal. Even work on the normal schemes that included replacement of artificial hockey turfs on six venues and construction on boxing gymnasiums in Quetta and Karachi came to halt because of legal battle.

This time around, the government has earmarked development budget for the same schemes and projects which were there previously. “Though these projects are on-going, no or very little progress was seen last year on these projects. The government now has allocated amount for same projects and schemes that are still unfinished. Even there had been no progress on the replacement of artificial hockey turfs,” an official of the Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC) when contacted said.

Last year schemes included construction of boxing gymnasium in Karachi and Quetta. Both projects were near to completion require another Rs9 million which would be spent this year. These projects were initiated almost four years back.

Replacement of hockey turfs at Islamabad, Faisalabad, Wah Cantt, Peshawar, Quetta and Abbottabad would cost the government another Rs100 million this year. Depending on the pending cases, Narowal project could well be allocated Rs10 million.

Last year, the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) could not organise Quaid Games. There are good chances that the Rs50 million allocated for the Games would be diverted towards preparation of South Asian Games, Pakistan is expected to host in two-year time.

On non-development budget front, there has been no increase in federations’ grant or other operational expenditures, pay of officers and staff and allowances.

The non-development fund of Rs980.826m also includes expenditures on special sports event, special grant, hiring of foreign coaches and PSB and related departments employees’ salaries and perks and privileges.