Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today introduced the HP Sports (Registration, Recognition and Regulation of Associations) Bill, 2015, providing compulsory registration and regulation of sports bodies in the Assembly.
As many as 42 sports bodies, including the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association are included in the list eligible for registration with Registrar (Societies) under the HP Societies Act.
Any sports body not registered under the proposed Act would not be permitted to use Himachal Pradesh with its name and represent the state in any competition.
The registered bodies would be required to hold free and fair elections under the supervision of representative of Registrar of Societies and outgoing officers and life members would not have any right to vote.
Introducing the Bill, the Chief Minister said that every Sports Association other than a primary sports body shall be required to be registered under this Act and frame bye-laws in conformity with the Act for holding elections.
The Bill provides that any Association undertaking sports activities at state or district level and is already registered under the Societies Act will have to amend its bye-laws in consonance with the provision of the Sports Bill for registration and hold elections within 30 days.
The Bill also provides for a mechanism to keep a check on accounts of the sports bodies and ensure that these functioned in a transparent manner.
The Congress government had enacted Sports Act in Himachal in its previous tenure in 2006 also but it was stayed by High Court and remained pending. The BJP on return to power, scrapped the bill.
