Many sports enthusiasts were glued to the television and radio sets listening to the Budget 2006/07 but things did not go as expected when the government just increased the budget for the sports sector by 28 million rupees.

Echoing the same sentiments, member secretary of the National Sports Council (NSC) Jivan Ram Shrestha, told Nepalnews the budget was insufficient and totally ignored sports. “170 million is like drop in the ocean. We will use around 100 million as administration expenses while 55 million will be used in two events; South Asian Games (SAG) and Asian Games. What can we do with remaining sum?” Shrestha questioned.

However, Finance Minister Mahat had poured some positive aspects saying, “Different types of sports will be launched at the school level and local level for making sports professional by increasing their competitiveness.”

The question arises as to when and how the govt. can launch such kind of competition among school goers if the NSC doesn’t have a sufficient budget.

Shrestha was optimistic that the government will listen to him. “I will negotiate with the government and convince them to increase the budget,” Shrestha told Nepalnews.

Jivan Ram Shrestha, appointed just two weeks ago as member secretary of NSC, added that the govt. should bring new concepts for the promotion of Nepalese sports in rural areas. Shrestha also added that the NSC is currently focusing on preparation for the SAG.

Meanwhile, president of Nepal Sports Journalist Forum (NSJF) Nirajan Rajbanshi also lashed out on the govt.’s policies over sports. “The sports sector has been neglected for a long long time and the time is now to recover from such neglect. The govt. should amend the sports budget as soon as possible,” he said.