Sports Authority of India erred in procuring equipment in 2017-22

Vinayak Padmadeo

New Delhi, October 11

At a time when the country is celebrating the Indian contingent’s best-ever show at the Asian Games, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India’s report about how the Sports Authority of India procures equipment does not read well.

The performance audit report by the CAG has highlighted how the SAI officials have majorly erred by either not procuring essential equipment in time or not utilising the sourced equipment at all.

From 2017 to 2022, the SAI officials purchased kits and equipment, including that for sports sciences, worth Rs 67.07 crore. However, the report suggests that equipment worth Rs 1.33 crore is lying idle at 13 centres at least. The report also says that the National Centre for Sports Sciences and Research (NCSSR) was not consulted before buying equipment for which the Sports Ministry had released Rs 20 crore from the approved sum of Rs 80 crore in March 2020.

The initial plan was to procure equipment for departments of anthropometry, biochemistry, biomechanics/GTMT, nutrition, physiology, physiotherapy, psychology, and strength and conditioning for 11 centres of excellence and two centres in Patiala and Bengaluru. It was to help the elite athletes before the Tokyo Olympics. However, the CAG notes that the purpose was defeated as the centres were not ready in time. Further, the report says that the SAI failed to check the requisite space and availability of medical/para-medical and scientific staff needed to operate the equipment.

Delays

The CAG has also highlighted how the top SAI officials have dealt with this process in a high-handed manner. As an example, the report cites how gymnastics equipment to be procured for the NERC Imphal centre in 2018 was delivered to the regional centre in Kolkata in 2019. Interestingly, the Kolkata centre had not raised a demand for the said equipment. The report says that SAI director general Sandip Pradhan ordered the equipment to be delivered to Kolkata instead.

In the case of procurement of shuttlecocks for the badminton team in 2019, the report says that the price bid evaluation committee (PBEC) observed that the single technically qualified bidder failed the requirement of the tender document as the company claimed it would deliver the shuttles within five-six months as opposed to 75 days. As a result, a member of the PBEC representing BAI dissented and did not sign the minutes of the meeting, stating that the SAI has not supplied shuttles for over one-and-a-half years.

Similarly, the SAI delayed procuring yachting equipment, including boats worth Rs 1.28 crore. The Yachting Association of India put up a proposal to get the equipment in November 2017 ahead of the 2018 Asian Games. However, the procurement process was only initiated in June 2018. The delay meant that the athletes failed to get time to train and the equipment had to be delivered in Jakarta, Indonesia, directly.