Pension to Indigent Sportspersons of Odisha

What is the Pension to Indigent Sportspersons of Odisha?

Pension to Indigent Sportspersons of Odisha is a welfare scheme of the Sports & Youth Services Department, Government of Odisha, that pays a monthly pension to former sportspersons who represented the state and are now living in poverty. It is often referred to in Odia simply as krida pension: sports pension.

The scheme has a long history. The Odisha Pension to Indigent Sports Persons Rules, 2000 were brought into force by a departmental resolution of 17 March 2001. Between 2003 and 2012 the rules were amended repeatedly to lower the age criterion, raise the pension amount, raise the annual income ceiling and relax the participation requirement. A consolidated scheme was notified on 13 December 2013 covering sportspersons and Paika Akhada performers, and the scheme was notified afresh in 2015 and then revised again by a later notification that is the version now published on the department's website.

Under that revised scheme, each pensioner receives Rs 3,000 per month, and the department may change the amount from time to time with the approval of Government. Payment is drawn from the treasury and credited to the beneficiary's bank account by e-transfer, monthly or at such interval as the department decides.

Readers should be aware of one inconsistency on the official site. The department's own sports-pension web page still describes the pension as Rs 2,000 per month with an income ceiling of Rs 12,000 a year, which are the older figures; the revised guidelines PDF hosted on the very same site fixes the pension at Rs 3,000 per month and the ceiling at Rs 50,000 a year. The guidelines notification is the operative document, but confirm both figures with your District Sports Officer before you file.

Who is eligible for the Odisha sports pension?

Under clause 3 of the revised scheme, you can apply if:

• You are a permanent resident of the State of Odisha.
• You are at least 50 years of age if male, or at least 40 years if female, counted as on the date of application. For sportspersons with disability the age is 40 years for both men and women.
• You represented the State of Odisha in a sporting discipline recognised by the Sports & Youth Services Department and listed in Annexure-I of the scheme.
• Your income from all sources does not exceed Rs 50,000 per annum, proved by an income certificate from the revenue authority.
• You are free from conviction in any criminal offence.

The 10-year age relaxation is the provision most people miss. Where a sportsperson was suddenly incapacitated by an injury, a physical handicap or a serious ailment that caused premature withdrawal from active sport, the age limit may be relaxed by up to ten years; meaning a man of 40 or a woman of 30 can qualify. A State Medical Board certificate is mandatory for that relaxation.

How much representation is required depends on which category your discipline falls into under Annexure-I:

In every category, representing India at least once in the Olympic Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, or a World Cup or World Championship in senior, junior or youth category is an alternative qualification on its own. For sportspersons with disability, the test is representing India at least once through the recognised national body in a recognised international event, or holding a medal in a recognised national championship.

The earlier 2013 scheme also covered Paika Akhada persons, who qualified by participating at least five times in state or district level competitions approved by the State level agency or District Council of Culture.

You cannot apply if:

• Your annual income from all sources exceeds Rs 50,000.
• You have never represented Odisha at the level your discipline's category requires, and have not represented India in a qualifying international event.
• You have been convicted in a criminal case.
• You have tested positive for substances banned by the International Olympic Committee in an IOC-accredited laboratory. An undertaking on this point must be filed with the application, and suppression of facts can invite legal action.

How to apply for the Odisha indigent sportspersons pension

1. Confirm your category and representation record. Check Annexure-I of the scheme to see whether your discipline is Category A, B, C or D, and gather the certificates that prove the required number of state or national representations. This is the step that decides the case.
2. Obtain an income certificate in original from the Tahasildar or other competent revenue authority showing income from all sources of not more than Rs 50,000 a year.
3. Fill the application form at Annexure-II, which asks for your name, present and permanent address, educational qualification, date of birth, age as on the date of application, sporting achievements, details of any disability sustained during your sporting career, present occupation and annual income, dependent family members, awards and credentials, whether you have taken similar assistance from the Central or State Government, whether you have any conviction, the anti-doping undertaking, and your savings account details.
4. Attach self-attested copies of the achievement certificates, date of birth proof, bank passbook, and: if claiming age relaxation — the State Medical Board certificate.
5. Submit the application to the District Sports Officer of your district. Where the department's online module is available, register on the departmental web portal, capture the required images, enter the data and upload the self-attested documents to the same DSO.
6. The DSO scrutinises and recommends. The District Sports Officer verifies your credentials and eligibility and either recommends the case or declines to recommend it, forwarding it to the Sports & Youth Services Department.
7. Track the outcome by SMS. The Scrutiny Committee or the department's Technical Cell examines the case, the file is processed in the OSWAS system, and the Director-cum-Additional Secretary issues the sanction. Every case, accepted or rejected, is uploaded to the web portal and a message is sent to the applicant's mobile number, with reasons where the case is rejected.

Surviving spouses apply the same way, attaching the death certificate and legal heir certificate of the deceased pensioner. The scheme requires such cases to be sanctioned on priority.

What must a pensioner do every year?

Every January, the pensioner must appear personally before the District Sports Officer of the district and furnish a life certificate in the form at Annexure-IV of the scheme. The DSO forwards or uploads it to the Sports & Youth Services Department by 10 February each year for renewal of the pension. The scheme states plainly that the pension shall not be renewed if the life certificate is not filed, so this January appearance is not a formality to be skipped.

When does the sports pension stop?

The scheme lists four grounds on which pension ceases:

• Death of the pensioner, though the surviving spouse may apply for continuation.
• Voluntary surrender by the pensioner at any time.
• No longer indigent. If enquiry establishes that the pensioner is leading a comfortable life, the department may stop the pension and may take legal or administrative action to recover the entire amount already paid, with 18 per cent annual interest.
• Fraud. Pension obtained by unfair or fraudulent means is stopped, with the same recovery consequence.

Where do I take a complaint about the sports pension?

Start with the District Sports Officer of your district, who holds the application, the recommendation and the annual life certificate. Escalate to the Director-cum-Additional Secretary, Sports & Youth Services Department, Government of Odisha, C-1 Nayapalli, Bhubaneswar 751012, which is the sanctioning level and also the office that owns the scrutiny process.

Rejections carry reasons, and those reasons are sent to your registered mobile number, so ask for the recorded reason before re-applying; in practice most refusals turn on either the income certificate or the number of documented state representations, and both are fixable. Odisha's grievance portal janasunani.odisha.gov.in is available if the department does not respond.

The department has not published a dedicated helpline number for sports pension, so contact is through the District Sports Officer or the departmental address above. No fee is payable to any agent, and sanction cannot be purchased.