Crores spent on CWG, but Jalandhar sports industry left out

Crores of rupees are being spent on the Commonwealth Games being held in New Delhi from October 3-14, but the world-famous sports industry of Jalandhar is not among the beneficiaries.

Sport products producers are upset that they have not benefited from a mega-sporting event taking place in their own country. The producers claim that while they even got orders for the FIFA World Cup taking place in far away South Africa, they have not received many orders for the Commonwealth Games.

The coordinator of the Sports Industry Union, Vijay Dheer, told PTI, "It is such a huge extravaganza but the Jalandhar industry has not benefited from it because products are being imported from abroad, while domestic producers are being neglected."

He said that they have received some product orders for hockey, the quantum is negligible. "The sports industry will not benefit from it. The Jalandhar sports industry had great hopes from these games but they have proved to be worthless," he said.

"Had the organisers of the games informed us about the quality and the quantity of the products that they are importing or have already imported, then probably we would have supplied it," Dheer added.

Dheer said that it has been known for years that the Commonwealth Games will be organised in India. As such, he argued that sports products producers could have been consulted for orders. The industry would have gained from it and it would have also led to more employment opportunities. Money also would not have gone outside India.

He said the government should put up a sports products exhibition near the Games Village to encourage the sport industry of the country so that players coming from all throughout the world can appreciate it. This can lead to huge business opportunities in foreign countries as well, he said.

Dheer said that another problem facing the sports industry of Punjab is that VAT charged here is 5.5 per cent, whereas no VAT is charged in Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Dheer said that after India opened itself up to international markets, products from China, Korea and other nations have given tough competition to Indian products.

He said the government should formulate a policy under which Indian products are not harmed because of imports.
    
Dheer added that in China, small industries get tax-free loans for five years, because of which its sports industry is flourishing. On the other hand, it is hard to even get a loan sanctioned in India, he said.