Haryana CM Puts Order Seeking 33% of Athletes’ Income on Hold

The Haryana government’s notification had attracted criticism from Babita Phogat, Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt.

The Haryana government has issued a diktat instructing athletes employed by the state to deposit a part of, or all of their income, to a state sports council, ANI reported on 8 June.

(Photo altered by The Quint)

Hours after it came to light that the Haryana government had issued a notification asking sportspersons to deposit one-third of their income earned from professional sports or commercial endorsements to the Haryana State Sports Council, CM Manohar Lal Khattar has now put the controversial order on hold.

Speaking to ANI after various athletes – including Babita Phogat, Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt – condemned the notification, Khattar said:

I have asked for the relevant file of the Sports Department to be shown to me and the notification to be put on hold till further orders. We are proud of the immense contribution by our sportspersons and I assure them of a just consideration of all issues.

Manohar Lal Khattar, Haryana CM

What Does the Diktat Say?

The diktat came in a letter dated 30 April(Photo: ANI)

The notification that governs the participation of sportspersons in "professional sports or commercial endorsements" puts forward two conditions on income. Notably, these conditions apply to sportspersons employed with the government.

One, that "one-third of the income earned by the sportsperson from professional sports or commercial endorsements will be deposited with the Haryana State Sports Council. The money shall be used for the development of sports in the State (sic)".

And two, that sportspersons "treated on duty with the prior approval of the competent authority while taking part in professional sports or commercial endorsements, the full income earned by the sportsperson on this account will be deposited with the Haryana State Sports Council".

The diktat came in a letter dated 30 April, signed by Ashok Khemka, Principal Secretary, Sports and Youth Affairs Department. According to the order, the money shall be used for the development of sports in the state.

Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Anil Vij had defended the move and clarified that it was not aimed at income generated from amateur sports "... here we are talking about income from professional sports," he said.

It is government’s old rule/service rule, Rule 56, as per which if any government employee generates commercial income or professional income, then he shall have to deposit one-third of such earnings.

Sports Minister Anil Vij, as quoted by PTI

Sportspersons Miffed

The notification had not gone down well with Haryana's sportspersons, as the likes of wrestler Babita Phogat expressed displeasure at the development.

Does the government even realise how much of hardwork a sportsperson puts in? How can they ask for one-third of the income? I do not support this at all. The government should’ve at least discussed it with us

Babita Phogat, Wrestler

She added that the notification will hamper an athlete's preparation, and asked the government to immediately take this order back and review it.

It seems as if illiterate people are making policies. Do they not know that we’re already paying taxes on money we win in competitions. If this is how things are going to work, the medal count will go down.

Babita Phogat

The athletes employed with the state government include star boxers Vijender Singh and Akhil Kumar, both of whom are DSPs in state police, hockey captain Sardar Singh and wrestlers Geeta and Babita Phogat. Sardar, Geeta and Babita are also employed with the Haryana Police.

Some other Haryana athletes, not employed with the state government, also reacted with shock.

Yogeshwar Dutt took to Twitter to criticise the order and questioned the logic behind it.

"God save us from such officials, who are taking senseless decisions like this. Their contribution to development of sports in Haryana has been zero but I am sure, they will play a big role in the decline of sports in the state," he tweeted.

"Now, athletes will move to other states and these officials will be responsible for this," he added.

Wrestler Sushil Kumar said that the policy needs to be reviewed and the opinions of athletes should also be considered.

This policy should be reviewed. Government should establish a committee of senior sportspersons and take their input before forming a policy of this type. This will affect the morale of sportspersons and might affect their performance as well.

Sushil Kumar, Wrestler

Remarking that he hasn't heard of such a policy anywhere else in the world, Kumar urged the government to make policies which encourage athletes.

In the meantime, Khemka also commented on the issue telling reporters that no government allows professional sports or commercial advertisements by its employees, reported PTI.

"...here we are not talking about income generated from amateur sports, but they will have to deposit one-third income from professional sports, towards Sports Development Fund, which is for development for sports and sportspersons in the state," Khemka said.

In April, the Haryana government courted controversy after it proposed to adjust the reward money given to the athletes after taking into account the rewards announced by Railways or other services.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)