A PYKKA kabbadi match in suburban Ranchi. File picture

Ranchi, Feb. 19: Past mistakes are clouding the future of Jharkhand’s rural sports, considered a time-tested tool to block extremist ideologies from penetrating the naive village psyche.

The Centre, which had zipped its purse last fiscal because the state had failed to make optimum use of sanctioned funds under the Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan (PYKKA) since 2008-09, recently sent a fresh reminder seeking absolute transparency on money matters.

The letter, received by the state sports department two weeks ago, directs submission of funds utilisation certificates for the Rs 47 lakh released by the Centre in 2008-09 under the special scheme to encourage sports in the hinterland. It also indicates that the funds freeze won’t be lifted unless satisfactory response is received from the state and exhorts the government to “submit account details for greater cooperation in the future”.

Surprisingly, sports secretary Ajoy Kumar Singh said he wasn’t aware of the letter. “In the second week of January, we sent some utilisation certificates to the Centre. If a letter has arrived after that, I am yet to read it,” he said.

However, he quickly added: “If there are issues, they will be sorted out at departmental level to avoid further funds block. For last two years the state didn’t get any aid under PYKKA, but we are hopeful of financial sanctions in the coming fiscal.”

Sources said this was the umpteenth reminder from the Centre, asking the sports department to come clean on funds use, but the latter has remained nonchalant. “The government of India had sanctioned around Rs 47 lakh for organising sports meets at block, district and state levels under PYKKA. However, the funds weren’t allegedly used in appropriate manner and the utilisation certificates submitted to the Centre have been rejected time and again,” said a source at the sports directorate in Ranchi.

If the deadlock continues, Jharkhand is likely to lose out on benefits of this important scheme, which was launched in 2008-09 to channel the energy of rural youths — who are often weaned away by Naxalites — in a positive direction.

Under PYKKA, the Centre provides 100 per cent funds as one-time grant for creation of playgrounds and sports infrastructure at village level. Apart from this, it gives 75 per cent annual grants, while the remaining 25 per cent is borne by the state.

According to sources, former sports secretary Sukhdev Singh’s assurance of conducting a special audit to check irregularities in funds utilisation had made the Centre agree on releasing Rs 2.81 crore in the 2009-10 fiscal. However, the money remained unused.

In 2010-11, an ambitious Jharkhand drew up a lengthy plan to use the Rs 2.81 crore sanctioned earlier (unused funds are carried forward to the next fiscal), but the 34th National Games and allied activities kept it too busy to concentrate exclusively on rural sports. Hence, the central aid once again lapsed.

“Last year, the state released Rs 55 lakh from its 25 per cent share and the amount was distributed among 110 panchayats for creating playgrounds. But no one knows the status of the projects or funds today because the headquarters never received complete data. So, we aren’t able to send the status report for use of even the state’s share of funds, which is mandatory before staking claim to the Centre’s share. It is a mess of a situation and that there complete freeze on withdrawal of sanctioned funds. Now, the Centre has gone back to its first stand and is seeking utilisation details of the Rs 47 lakh released in 2008-09,” said another source in the department.

Sarvar Imam, who is currently in charge of PYKKA, confirmed that the central aid coffer had run dry. “The PYKKA games held in Ranchi and other places in recent times had to be sponsored entirely by the state. The sports department is trying to sort out matters (with the Centre) at the earliest,” he said.