New Delhi, Nov 5 (IANS) With less than a year left for its start, the government Thursday more than doubled the 2010 Commonwealth Games budget to Rs.1,620 crore (Rs.16.2 billion/$344 million). It said more money was needed for security, creating a better environment, sponsorship and television rights and better delivery of the games.
The decision to more than double the budget from Rs.767 crore (Rs.7.67 billion/$163 million) was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here.
"The cabinet approved the proposal of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for providing a revised budget of Rs.1,620 crore, as loan to the Organising Committee (OC) of the Commonwealth Games, 2010, at the prevailing government rate of interest," Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters after the meeting.
Soni said the Commonwealth Games organising committee hoped that "against the approved revised estimates it is expected to generate a revenue of about Rs.1,708 crore".
Delhi is hosting the 19th Commonwealth Games from Oct 3 to 14, 2010, in 17 sporting disciplines. Competitions will also be held for Elite Athletes with Disability (EAD).
According to sources, when Sports Minister M.S. Gill introduced the proposal for hiking the budget in the cabinet, there was muted discussion on the subject. Commerce Minister Anand Sharma reportedly said that India needed to put its "best foot forward".
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that there could perhaps be a cabinet meeting just on the Commonwealth Games for a full discussion on the issue.
Soni said many factors have contributed to increase in the amounts proposed in the revised estimates.
"Sponsorship and TV rights, security, sustainability and environment, and ticketing" included in the revised proposal, were among the main factors raising the budget, the minister said.
"New items essential for the successful delivery of the Games were not provided in the initial budget of the committee," she added.
"The components of rent for organising headquarters, technology which were practically nil in the initial budget, are now around Rs.175 crore and Rs.200 crore respectively. These have also contributed substantially to the (budget) increase."
When queried on why the rent category has shown such a dramatic revision, the minister said that the sports ministry had made the proposal only after being properly satisfied by the reasons put forward by the organising committee.
Soni said the new proposal also includes the "change in the scope of the work and cost escalation in respect of accommodation, catering, opening and closing ceremonies, protocol, communications, image and look, technology, risk management-insurance and technical conduct of sports".
The Queen's Baton Relay (QBR) has also been revised and will now cover all 70 Commonwealth Games Association nations and territories in the international leg and all states in the national leg.
The number of days of the relay in its international leg will be raised to 240 days from 136 approved previously. In the domestic leg the number of days has been increased to 100 from 60.
"The number of volunteers has also gone up to nearly 30,000 and hence the cost of accreditation, catering, uniform, on this account has increased," Soni said.
But, the increased budget does not account for the expenditure being borne by the individual ministries for various aspects in the games, which have also gone through a upward revision.
For example, the International Broadcasting Centre which the ministry is financing is not able to find bidders in its initial expenditure estimate. "The lowest bid is more than our estimate (in expenditure), so we will have to increase it," said an official.