NOT A GAME-CHANGER YET
Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi
Age: 64 Qualification: Higher secondary
Portfolio: Sports and youth affairs
The four-time MLA from Guru Har Sahai in Ferozepur district, Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, is a close friend of chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh and was made minister during the cabinet expansion despite opposition by Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar. As a minister, he faced the challenge of restoring the lost glory of Punjab in sports and drawing youth towards games to divert them from getting any drug abuse. A nationallevel shooter, he won the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award in 1978. He was the chief parliamentary secretary, sports, during the previous Amarinder tenure. He is wants to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Ferozepur.
PROMISES: Construction of rural sports’ stadiums with gyms and youth clubs in every village besides setting up indoor and outdoor sports complexes at the block level and upgrading stadiums. Making astroturf and synthetic track and courts of international standards and setting up sports university; monetary increase in awards and starting insurance, pension schemes for sportspersons.
PERFORMANCE: With the annual budget for sports at Rs 147 crore in the last budget, the minister, many say, could not have done much. However, the department was able to pass the new sports policy under which the cash awards for sports tournaments were increased and pension scheme for sportspersons attaining the age of 40 was announced. This policy is considered a game-changer for the development of sports in Punjab. He also managed to clear the Maharaja Ranjit Singh sports awards pending since 2010. On infrastructure development, the department does not have much to boast about due to the fund crunch. The sports university announced in the first budget in 2017 in Patiala, remains a non-starter.
CONTROVERSIES: Sodhi’s son Anumit Heera Sodhi filed a public interest litigation in the Punjab and Haryana high court against the release of the film, The Accidental Prime Minister, based on former prime minister Manmohan Singh. He had to withdraw it on the directions of the party high command after it was decided not to oppose its release.