BCCI demands more accountability from states

In another step to roll out in-house reforms, the BCCI has asked all its state units to be more accountable, seeking relevant proof and information from them for the various subsidies they have been granted in the last ten years.

In three separate letters sent earlier this week, which have been accessed by ESPNcricinfo, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur has also urged the states to set up individual vision documents for the development of the game under their jurisdiction, and submit the same to the board by September 15.

"BCCI has been distributing huge amount of subsidy since 2005 to the state units. We are now in the process of documenting the steps taken by the State Units to develop and promote the game of cricket in the last decade," Thakur wrote in the first letter, sent on August 5.

Every year the BCCI disburses about 70% of its profits to its members. But with no checks and balances in place till the mid-noughties, states did not bother to justify their expenses to the board. BCCI administrations in the last ten years, though, have taken a firm stance if they sniffed any wrongdoing on the part of the states. In the recent past the BCCI has hauled up various members - including the Delhi District Cricket Association, Rajasthan Cricket Association, Kerala Cricket Association, Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association, and Assam Cricket Association - for different reasons, including allegations of misappropriation of funds and embezzlement.

The BCCI has appointed senior administrator Ratnakar Shetty, the board's game development manager, as the coordinator of this project. According to Thakur, the BCCI wanted the states to share information related to five specific areas: "Construction or refurbishment of international stadium, creation of cricket facilities at the district level, creation of cricket academy and its activities, domestic tournament in your association, and welfare measures undertaken by the association."

Thakur stressed the states need to take up the issues as "top priority", and also appoint an official, who would become the "one-point contact" for the BCCI to coordinate with.

Another important area, Thakur pointed out, where the states need to become more vigilant, is when they avail funds from the Infrastructure Subsidy pool - since 2005, the BCCI has set up a annual pool of Rs 50 crore from which the states can claim expenses for buying land for new stadiums, constructing a new stadiums, refurbishing an existing stadium, and buying ground equipment. Usually such claims need to be supported by the relevant documents listed in the BCCI's guidelines, but Thakur said that some states had not only failed to adhere to them, but also misused the funds in certain cases.

"I am writing to you this letter to request you to advise your office to strictly adhere to the guidelines for claiming reimbursement under Infrastructure Subsidy. We have come across some claims for items other than for Infrastructure Development or in some case the relevant document for purchase of land are not enclosed and in some cases the auditor's certificate is not enclosed. This leads to undue delay in clearing the files for release of payment," Thakur noted in a separate letter that was sent to the state units on August 6.

Calling the state units a "partner in the development and promotion of the game in India", Thakur urged them to help in the BCCI's endeavour to formulate a Vision2020 document. Asking them to take the matter up "as an agenda" with their respective managing committees, the states have been asked to prepare their own Vision 2020 document and submit that to the BCCI by mid September.

"There is no doubt that cricket in India has developed and prospered over the years due to our collective effort. The State Units have taken new initiatives to develop and promote the game all these years. The BCCI would like to involve its member units in setting up the Vision2020 document for the game," Thakur wrote.

With a Supreme Court-appointed Lodha committee looking into institutional reforms for the BCCI, the board has already taken steps to clean up the administration of cricket in the country. In the last week of July, the board had for the first time acknowledged and sought to address the issue of conflict of interest. In a letter written to its members, Thakur, had asked representatives of every state association, and members of various committees and sub-committees of the BCCI, to sign a declaration stating they have no conflicts of interest.