Restructure Sports Authority of India cadre to streamline functioning: Sarbananda Sonowal

NEW DELHI: Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has asked Sports Secretary Ajit Saran to expedite restructuring of Sports Authority of India (SAI) cadre to streamline the functioning of the body.

Sonowal took serious view of the fact that SAI is languishing due to non-availability of officers and coaches to man it's more than 80 SAI centres spread all over India including North Eastern Region and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

The Sports Minister asked Saran, who is holding the charge of SAI Director General, to create atleast 9 Regional Centres and to effectively manage the SAI Centres especially in North Eastern Region and bigger states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh etc.

"Since its formation in April 1984, Sports Authority of India had undergone many changes and in the studies carried out by Staff Inspection Unit (SIU) of Dept. of Personnel, Govt. of India, also by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Sports & Youth Affairs and Tata Consultancy Services, many far reaching recommendations were made," a Sport Ministry release said.

"Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Sonowal took prompt action by repatriating the deputanists against regular posts in SAI and instructing Secretary, Sports to expedite cadre restructuring of Sports Authority of India so as to provide promotions to long pending cases and also to streamline the functioning of Sports Authority of India," the release added.