During a dialogue programme held at Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s residence in Dehradun, CNI Girls School taekwondo player Saira raised the issue of financial difficulty despite being selected for an international competition. She told the Chief Minister that arranging around ₹1.50 lakh required for participation had become a challenge.
According to Saira, she was selected for an international competition in Romania after participating in a national taekwondo competition held in Jammu. The total expenditure, including travel, was stated to be around ₹3.70 lakh. Of this, around ₹1.70 lakh was to be provided by the council, while Saira was required to arrange approximately ₹1.50 lakh to ₹1.60 lakh herself.
Saira said she could not arrange the required funds and therefore could not participate in the international competition.
During the programme at the Chief Minister’s residence, Saira became emotional while explaining her situation. She told Dhami that she had been selected for international taekwondo and that ₹1.50 lakh had been sought from her, because of which she could not participate at the international level.
After hearing her, Chief Minister Dhami directed officials to gather information related to her school and taekwondo training.
After a video of the interaction emerged, the matter began to be discussed on social media as an allegation of a bribe demand. The Uttarakhand government later clarified that the matter did not involve a government official demanding a bribe.
According to the government, Saira was receiving training through the private organisation Taekwondo Council of India, through which she was selected for the international competition.
The government said the total cost of travelling to the competition was around ₹3.70 lakh. The private organisation was to bear approximately ₹1.70 lakh, while Saira had to arrange the remaining amount herself. The government stated that the matter was related to the cost of participating in a competition organised through a private organisation and did not concern a government job, government selection process or a demand for money by a government official.
Saira later clarified that she could not present the complete information before the Chief Minister. She said she had participated in the national competition in Jammu and was subsequently selected for the international competition in Romania. She said she could not arrange the funds required to travel to the competition and therefore could not participate.
It also emerged that Saira had not informed her school about the matter. This led to differences between the initial conversation and the detailed information that emerged later.
The government said that, for this reason, it was incorrect to describe the matter as a demand for a bribe at the government level. The government also alleged that some people had attempted to present the matter as a bribe-demand incident for political benefit.
Following the Chief Minister’s directions, officials are gathering information related to Saira’s school, training and selection. The information is expected to establish the process through which she was selected for the competition, the complete expenditure involved and the amount of assistance that was to be provided by the private organisation.
According to the information available, Saira had raised the need for money before the Chief Minister, while the subsequent clarifications from the government and Saira stated that the amount was related to the cost of participating in the international competition and not to a bribe demand by a government official.
The case has also brought attention to the financial challenges faced by sports talent. Saira was selected for an international competition after participating at the national level, but she could not participate because the required funds could not be arranged.
For school-level players in particular, expenses related to international competitions can place a financial burden on families. The case has highlighted the difficulty of arranging travel, training, entry and other expenses after selection.
The government has so far rejected the allegation of a bribe demand and described the matter as being related to the expenses of participating in an international competition through a private organisation. Saira has also clarified that she could not provide the complete details before the Chief Minister.
Further action will be based on the facts and documents gathered by officials.
