Commonwealth Games: Private show using public funds

The Indian government is spending huge money from the tax- payer's pockets, without his knowledge, on the Commonwealth Games. According to the document India has paid $ 1,20,00,000 (Rs 50 crore) to the CGF as licensing fee to host the games.
The commonwealth Youth Games began in Pune on October 13, amid much hoopla. Before you sink further in the euphoria of the games, here is something that you need to know as a tax-payer. The huge expenditure on these games and its organisation is being done out of taxpayers' money for the benefit of a handful entities, without the public knowledge. This apart, while Puneites would be happy that CYG is being conducted in Pune, it is interesting to know that Pune was never a part of the games in its planning stage.
India had won the right to host the Commonwealth Games by defeating Canada 46 votes to 22 at the CGF General Assembly held in Montego Bay in November, 2003, which happened after a bidding process from both the countries. The Indian Olympic Committee (IOA) put India's bid forward and the Indian government had agreed to support the bid. In the bid document, the IOA led by Pune MP, Suresh Kalmadi, also the head of the organising committee of the games, had proposed Delhi as the venue for both Youth Games-2008 and the main games to be held in 2010. However, the organising committee thrust the games on Pune because civic infrastructure in Delhi needed time to be built to international standards. The reason for choosing Pune as the alternate venue was that the Congress was ruling in the Pune Municipal Corporation and was controlled by Kalmadi.
According to the bid document, the Indian government, through the IOA, is spending more than $430 million (Rs 2000 crore) on the events, a fact which has been left undisclosed by the organising committee. A quick look at the bid document reveals that apart from the details of the games India is willing to host, the bid document also contains the details of the money, which the Indian Government is spending. According to the document India has paid $ 1,20,00,000 (Rs 50 crore) to the CGF as a licensing fee to host the games. It has donated $1,00,000 to each of the 71 participating countries to support training and preparation of their athletes.
It has spent another $4,90,00,000 (Rs 205 crore) to pay for the accommodation and travel of the participants. The games administration will cost $18,00,00,000, (Rs 756 crore) while capital expenditure like renovation and construction of stadia (in Delhi) will cost $21,00,00,000, (Rs 882 crore) totaling a sizeable $ 42,10,00,000 (Rs 1768, crore). However, after the shift of venue from Delhi to Pune the capital expenditure cost has gone up by another $ 6,00,00,000 (Rs 252 crore), apart from the $ 66,60,000 (Rs 28 crore) that will be spent on the CYG, according to the document.
The document also says that that sponsorships, broadcasting rights, ticket sales, etc will bring in $ 18,00,00,000 (Rs 756 crore). The evaluation commission of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), the body that governs the games, has found inconsistencies in the revenue figures stated by the IOA, which it has said to be 'potentially overstated'. However, it has chose to ignore those, because the government of India has given an undertaking that it will pitch in to fill any kind of revenue shortfall that the organising committee may encounter.
If this is not enough, the organising committee and the Indian government clarified to the CGF that they have provision for upto 30% increase in this expenditure, which has been drafted according to cost prevailing in 2003.