Spare a thought for the coaches

Despite Telangana's new Sports Policy boosting athlete rewards, coaches remain neglected with no recruitment, benefits, or pensions. A representation has been submitted to the Sports Minister, seeking long-overdue reforms

Hyderabad: Even as the athletes have every reason to feel immensely pleased with the new Sports Policy of the Telangana State Government—thanks to the drastic increase in cash incentives for those who win medals at the highest level in Olympics, World Championships, and Asian Games—coaches continue to be the neglected lot.

For there is no mention of their welfare, and not surprisingly, for most of the 140 coaches, there is very little to cheer.

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Just consider this: only four regular coaches with more than 30 years of service get full-scale salaries with all benefits, about Rs 60,000. Five coaches recruited in 1999 get Rs 45,000, and 14 of those appointed in 2009 get Rs 29,000. All the remaining coaches receive a nominal salary of about RS 29,000, with no benefits like DA, HRA, or conveyance allowances in most cases.

J. Rajashekhar Reddy, NIS cricket coach and Secretary of the Sports Authority of Telangana State Coaches Association, says that most districts have no coaches.

“Just imagine the plight of all the coaches who have retired without getting their services regularised. How can they survive without a minimum pension?” he questions.

“It is anybody’s guess how many coaches are employed across the 33 districts of Telangana,” Rajashekhar said.

“We have submitted a representation to Telangana Sports Minister Vakiti Srihari, impressing upon him that the coaches’ cadre strength in the State has not been filled for over four decades, resulting in a severe shortage,” he said. “There are 256 coaching posts lying vacant, which have directly affected the performances of athletes.”

The Minister was also informed that since the formation of Telangana, not a single coaches’ recruitment notification has been issued as per the employment generation norms under GO Ms No. 25.

This issue of coaches getting a raw deal is nothing new. Governments have changed over the last four decades, but the attitude hasn’t. Ironically, coaches—who are the ones training young talent at the grassroots level—have been consistently overlooked when it comes to receiving the treatment they deserve.

The Sports Minister was also briefed about irregular pension payments and the pending retirement benefits for 35 members who retired after 2021.

The Minister assured that the matter would be taken up with the Chief Minister soon.