CAG report highlights ₹24 crore loss to IOA due to faulty agreement with RIL
New Delhi: The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has incurred a loss of ₹24 crore due to a flawed sponsorship agreement with Reliance India Limited (RIL), according to a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). The CAG audit points to undue favor granted to RIL through the sponsorship deal.
The agreement, initially signed on August 1, 2022, granted RIL the status of Official Principal Partner for the 2022 and 2026 Asian Games, 2022 and 2026 Commonwealth Games, 2024 Paris Olympics, and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Subsequently, the agreement was amended on December 5, 2023, to include additional rights for the 2026 and 2030 Winter Olympic Games, as well as the 2026 and 2030 Youth Olympic Games, without a corresponding increase in the consideration amount.
According to the CAG report, despite the addition of four more events, the consideration amount remained unchanged at ₹35 crore. The report stated that the consideration should have been revised to ₹59 crore, calculated at ₹6 crore per game. As a result, the IOA suffered a loss of ₹24 crore.
IOA President PT Usha has been asked to respond to the half-margin issued by the CAG regarding the agreement. Ajay Kumar Narang, executive assistant to PT Usha, stated that the agreement had to be renegotiated due to a flaw in the original tender, which did not account for changes made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) regarding the naming rights of sponsor houses.
IOA treasurer Sahdev Yadav has raised concerns over the lack of consultation with the executive council and sponsorship committee during the amendment of the agreement, questioning who authorized the changes that benefitted RIL.
The report has called for an explanation from the IOA on why the amount was not enhanced as required, stating that the association failed to safeguard its own interests.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
