BCCI has written to CIC about its stand on RTI: Anurag Thakur

The BCCI joint secretary Anurag Thakur stated that the board has written to the CIC regarding its stand on not coming under the purview of the RTI.

New Delhi: The BCCI joint secretary Anurag Thakur on Wednesday stated that the board has written to the Central Information Commission (CIC) regarding its stand on not coming under the purview of the RTI.

"The BCCI has written to the CIC. BCCI is a public body and we have always maintained that we would not want to come under the RTI. The Indian Cricket Board has said very categorically earlier also and even written to the Sports Ministry where it has clarified why it is against the sports bill," Thakur said at the sidelines of a function to promote Indian wrestling. "And whatever the Sports Ministry have now said to the CIC, we will give written reply to that also," he added. Insisting that BCCI should not be brought under the RTI, Thakur said,"We are a sports promoting body and we have done reasonably well in the last so many years by winning two World Cups and a Twenty20 World Cup. I think we are not like any other sports body who is dependent on government grants." Thakur, who is also the President of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, said that the Board has nothing to hide as far as its financial details are concerned and everything is available on its website. "Our financial details are available on the internet...on the BCCI website. We have said earlier also and I am saying this today also that anyone can visit the BCCI website and there is full accounts details. There is nothing to hide.” "We have a very transparent system and we work in a very professional manner. But RTI is not only about accounts, there are lot of other things. Why we have stated that (we do not want to come under RTI) and replied in a very detailed manner," he revealed. Thakur said that the fact that government want the BCCI to pay tax in the name of it helping other sports by them giving grants, "is not fair". The HPCA president said that the country is waiting for the the Lokpal at the moment rather than the sports bill. "Let us right now concentrate on the Lokpal bill rather than the sports bill as the whole country is waiting for a strong Lokpal," he said. The proposed sports bill, which was prepared after receiving comments and suggestions from various stakeholders and the public, seeks to have BCCI as National Sports Federation (NSF) and wants it to function as a "public authority" and "comply with the requirements specified in the Right to Information Act". If the BCCI becomes an NSF, it would be bound to provide information under the RTI and would also be forced to follow the anti-doping rules as specified by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). These proposals of the Bill have been vehemently opposed by the BCCI and some other sports bodies, including the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), which want to continue functioning in an autonomous manner, free from public scrutiny and accountability. PTI