Simplify process of awarding players: Chandigarh Adviser Dharam Pal

Deepankar Sharda

Chandigarh, May 12

UT Adviser Dharam Pal today directed the Sports Department to simplify the process of giving awards to players and also asked it to introduce performance-linked incentives for coaches.

The directions came during a meeting of the UT Sports Council held after a gap of over two years.

“Things have to be simplified at the bureaucratic level. Instead of making players to fill forms and appear in the office again and again, our coaches should file a report if any player wins medal at national or international level. Students are not getting incentives. If the department is not aware about its players winning laurels at various levels, there’s no use of its existence. The achievers should be awarded happily. Players do not need to wait for long or called again and again,” said Pal.

He suggested that the department should have a good working environment for the coaches. “The working conditions for the coaches should be made better. Performance-linked incentives should be brought into the system. Similarly, players’ assessment is equally important. Their potential should be judged and assessed for their betterment.”

The Adviser said, “If we want our city to get recognised as the region’s centre of excellence in sports, we have to raise the standards of the Sports Department. Long-term perspective has to be developed. The department’s functioning should be fast and transparent. We should adopt scientific methods to enhance players’ performance.”

Recently, the UT Sports Department had constituted a committee to decide on the eligibility criteria for giving cash awards to players, who have excelled in various international championships from 2013 to 2018. The department is already facing flak for not awarding cash awards to international achievers and failing to announce the new sports policy. Several meetings have already been conducted in this regard.