June 10, 2007	Sunday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 24, 1428

LAHORE, June 9: Annual grant of the Punjab Sports Board is likely to be increased by more than 100 per cent for the first time after 26 years in the provincial budget for 2007-08.

Sources told Dawn the Punjab government has approved a summary, which suggests the grant for the next year to be raised to Rs40 million, from the current figure of Rs18 million, for the provincial sports board.

Though the province’s finance ministry will decide the final sum in this regard, sources said the proposed amount of Rs40 million is likely to be sanctioned.

The Punjab board had asked the government for an annual grant of Rs120 million for 2007-08 but the government limited it to Rs 40 million.

Sources added the government, having enough financial resources, could fulfil the Punjab board’s demand of Rs120 million. But the main hurdle was that the provincial board could not use its previous grant of Rs18 million due to lack of interest towards the games’ promotion.

Previously, the Punjab board could only participate in the National U-17 competitions for which it did not hold any inter-district events to pick the teams therefore an amount of about Rs5 million was still lying in the board’s coffers.

But sources said now the board had decided to prepare a comprehensive programme for 2007-08 to utilise funds fully.

A dismal show from Punjab resulting in their poor finish at the sixth position in the last National Games, held in Karachi in April, forced the provincial sports body to adopt an effective programme to boost their standard of sports.

Now the sources said the monthly stipend of Punjab’s players could be increased from the existing Rs1,000 to Rs3,000. In special cases an international-level athlete could get even Rs10,000 per month from the board, sources added.

The provincial board is also thinking over holding Punjab Open competitions in at least four games, offering lakhs of rupees as cash prizes to attract the players of other provinces to come and compete at the national level, sources informed.