The Prime Minister today convened a high-level meeting to review the preparations for the Commonwealth Games scheduled to begin on 3rd October. The meeting was attended by Shri S. Jaipal Reddy, Minister of Urban Development; Dr. M.S. Gill, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports; Shri Tejendra Khanna, Lt. Governor of Delhi; Smt. Sheila Dikshit, Chief Minister of Delhi; Shri T.K.A. Nair, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister; Shri K.M. Chandrasekhar, Cabinet Secretary; Shri Suresh Kalmadi, Chairman, Organizing Committee, CWG and other senior officials.

The Prime Minister was briefed by the Ministry of Sports, the Ministry of Urban Development, the Government of Delhi and the Organising Committee on the progress of Commonwealth Games preparatory works assigned to them. The Prime Minister observed that there had been slippages in the time schedules of some of the construction works and deficiencies had also been observed in some of the works. He said that, in the run up to the Games, it was important to gain public confidence by instilling order and carrying out effective supervision of the preparation works.

The Prime Minister directed the Ministries concerned, the Government of the National Capital Region and the Organizing Committee to complete all pending works expeditiously through time-bound action plans and carry out a quality audit of the completed facilities. All the facilities must meet international standards.

The Group of Ministers set up for the Commonwealth Games headed by the Minister of Urban Development Shri S. Jaipal Reddy was directed to meet immediately and frequently thereafter. The Group was empowered to take all decisions necessary for the smooth conduct of the Games. The Group of Ministers will refer any matter that may require further consideration to the Finance Minister for a final decision.

The Cabinet Secretary was directed to liaise closely with the Group of Ministers to ensure effective coordination among all the concerned authorities. The Committee of Secretaries headed by the Cabinet Secretary will continue to review implementation and it will have the status of an Empowered Committee. It will have jurisdiction over matters relating to the Organising Committee and a Secretary level officer of the Cabinet Secretariat will liaise with the Organising Committee on a daily basis.

The Organizing Committee would take appropriate steps urgently to conclude all pending preparations. The Senior Management Committee of the Organising Committee would meet daily and be chaired by the CEO in the absence of the Chairman or Vice-Chairman, Organising Committee. Additional senior and experienced officers from the Government of India would be deputed as required.

The Prime Minister further directed the concerned Ministries to conduct thorough investigations into all the complaints that have been received of procedural and other irregularities. He said that those found guilty should face severe and exemplary punishment.

The Cabinet will be briefed on the state of preparations on a weekly basis.

The public has a right to know the facts and the Group of Ministers will ensure that timely and authentic information on the state of preparations and in particular on the remaining tasks at hand is released to the public. The promotional campaign of the various events should be stepped up to generate enthusiasm among sports lovers in the largest sporting event the country has held in many years.

The Prime Minister has decided to visit selected venues of the Commonwealth Games in the last week of August.

The Prime Minister said that the eyes of the world were on the country as we conduct this prestigious event. The Commonwealth Games was an occasion not only to celebrate sporting excellence but also the spirit of kinship and camaraderie among the Commonwealth fraternity. India will have an opportunity to present its culture, its achievements, its warm hospitality and its organizational capabilities to the world.

The Prime Minister emphasized that it was very important that as a country, the people should work together to give our honoured guests a warm welcome and a memorable experience of all that our nation has to offer. Our athletes and sportsmen are training hard and need the full support and encouragement of their fellow Indians. He urged all concerned to work single-mindedly so that the Games could be held in a manner the nation could be justifiably proud of.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Prime Minister expressed confidence that the ongoing preparations supervised directly by the Group of Ministers would enable the Games to be conducted smoothly and in a befitting manner.