"If the full-fledged budget doesn´t come before the Games, the Ministry of Finance can´t release even a single penny for the event. In that situation, Nepal will not participate in the Games," said Pandey, during a program organized by Radio Dhading 106 MHz in Kathmandu on Saturday to mark the fourth year of its transmission. [break]
"There would be no meaning of participation when the country is in deep crisis," Pandey said.
"We have told the National Sports Council (NSC) to continue training and preparation but we can´t give money unless the full-fledged budget comes into action," added Pandey.
The caretaker government has brought the vote-on-account bill, which authorizes spending of an amount equal to one-third of the budget allocated in the previous year.
According to NSC Member-secretary Hari Babu Chaudhary, the delay in the budget is hitting even players´ training. "The Ministry of Finance has released around Rs 4.5 million for the Asian Games. It is inadequate, and we are expecting the full-fledged budget before the games begin," said Chaudhary.
"We are providing Rs 600 daily to a player from outside the Kathmandu Valley and Rs 300 to a player from the Valley for their lodging and diets. We have to provide Rs 800 to a player during the final round of closed-camp training and we are trying to postpone it a week later to save the budget," explained Chaudhary.
"If the full-fledged budget does not come in time, we have no option but to withdraw from the Games," clarified Chaudhary.
The Asian Games is scheduled to be held from November 12 to 27 in Guangzhou, China. NSC has declared to participate in 15 different sports for which around 100 players have been selected. Among the 15 sports, Cricket Association of Nepal is planning to send its men´s and women´s teams to Guangzhou in its own expense.
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