PANJIM: Congress on Thursday accused Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar of deliberately keeping financial grants of Rs 2.18 crore on hold meant for sports personalities and associations, since 2017.
Addressing to media, Goa Pradesh Congress General Secretary Amarnath Panjikar alleged that Ajgaonkar has held back financial grants for his demand to settle “Mission 30 percent Commission”.
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He mentioned that the beneficiaries include sportspersons with disabilities, sportspersons who have won medals representing the State at national championships and sports association affiliated to Sports Authority of Goa.
“Ajgaonkar has no right to occupy the chair and must resign immediately,” he demanded.
Panjikar said as per documentary evidence, Sports Department is yet to release an amount of Rs 55.59 lakh to 16 sports associations from 2017 to 2020.
The documents of the Sports Department further revealed that an amount of Rs 16.14 lakh towards prize money to 188 medal winners who participated in various sporting events at the national level is pending from 2017 to 2019, he said.
The Congress leader alleged that the ‘insensitive’ and ‘incompetent’ Sports Minister has withheld Rs 30.20 lakh of 91 sportspersons in indigenous circumstances for 2017 and 2018. Almost 35 sportspersons in indigenous circumstances have not received an amount of Rs 23.64 lakh till date for the financial year 2018– 2019, he informed.
The data also reveals that financial assistance of Rs 39.48 lakh is not paid to 60 sportspersons for 2020–2021, he added.
“We will soon obtain the figures of unpaid amounts of 2020 and 2021 which will further expose the greed of the corrupt sports minister,” Panjikar said.
