By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 26 Mar: More than a month has passed since the conclusion of the 38th National Games in Uttarakhand, yet financial uncertainties continue. While the event was hosted in grand manner and had also received accolades for this, the question of how to cover the massive expenditure remains unresolved, with files still shuffling between departments and the state administration.
It may be recalled that the games, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 28 February in Dehradun, significantly boosted Uttarakhand’s visibility on the national stage. However, the financial burden left behind has now become a subject of serious deliberation.
Officials share that the initial budget provision for the games was Rs 250 crores, but the actual expenditure reportedly soared to around Rs 450 crores, leaving the sports department with pending dues and deficit of approximately Rs 200 crores.
It is learnt that Special Principal Secretary Amit Sinha has written letters to senior officials in the state administration, urging them to identify unutilised funds from various departments in the current financial year to cover these liabilities. What has complicated the situation further is the fact that, despite the hosting of the national games and a large amount of pending dues, the government has only allocated Rs 100 crores in the budget for the next financial year, which will make it even more challenging to meet this shortfall. The situation has put the sports department in a tight spot.
Director of the Sports Department, Prashant Arya, has confirmed that many of the bills related to the event are still being processed, and that a final expenditure estimate is expected by July. Given the significant financial gap, there is now growing demand for an audit of the games’ expenses to ensure transparency and accountability.
