Chandigarh, Feb 23: Kaithal MLA Aditya Surjewala on Monday raised concerns in the Haryana Assembly regarding the welfare of the state’s athletes, citing government data that indicates significant delays in disbursements and recruitment. During the ongoing Budget session, the legislator asserted that thousands of applications for cash awards and scholarships remain unresolved or have been rejected over the past six years.
The MLA stated that of the 11,489 applications submitted for the cash award scheme since 2019, only 6,987 received approval. He maintained that 1,361 cases are currently pending, while a substantial number of others were turned down without clear justification.
“The situation with sports quota jobs is even more terrible,” Surjewala declared while addressing the House. “Under the Outstanding Sports Persons and Eligible Sports Persons quotas, only one appointment has been made in Group A since April 2021.”
The inquiry further noted that scholarship distributions have faced similar hurdles. Out of 26,408 applications, 16,415 were authorized, leaving over 2,200 pending. Surjewala affirmed that the backlog has grown recently, with unresolved applications rising from 370 in 2023 to 684 in 2024.
Regarding employment, the legislator noted that while 1,057 vacancies were proposed for Group-C posts since 2019, the Haryana Staff Selection Commission has only advertised 447 positions. He argued that the recruitment process remains stagnant as the main examinations have yet to be conducted.
“It is extremely unfortunate and concerning that numerous players who have brought glory to the state and country in Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and Olympics are not being given opportunities in Group A and Group B positions,” the MLA remarked.
