KATHMANDU: Member Secretary the National Sports Council (NSC) Jeevan Ram Shrestha resigned from his office today.

“I tendered my resignation to pave way for new leadership,” said Shrestha at a press meet. Shrestha remained at the helm of

the NSC for three years and 15 days in his second tenure in the sports governing body. His earlier stint as the Member Secretary was for nine months during the CPN (UML)-led government in 2054 BS.

Accepting the resignation, Youth and Sports Minister Ganesh Nepali said the new Member Secretary would be in place soon. “It will take a little while to nominate new person and hopefully it will be done within a week,” said Nepali.

Shrestha, who was nominated for the job when CPN-UML got the Education and Sports Ministry portfolio after the Jana Andolan-II, took charge one month before the 10th South Asian Games held in Colombo in 2006. “Keeping the tradition of leaving the post after the change of government, I am stepping down as the Tarai Madhesh Loktantrik Party is at the helm of the Ministry,” he said. “Political parties should make a policy to let the person spend full tenure once nominated for certain period,” Shrestha said. The tenure of a Member Secretary is four years.

Shrestha said he decided to quit after consultations with PM Madhav Kumar Nepal, Youth and Sports Minister Nepali and his party (CPN-UML). Shrestha met the PM twice — on Tuesday evening and this morning — before quitting. Shrestha is also the alternative central executive committee member of the party.

“I have resigned but will always work for the betterment of sports,” said Shrestha, who is also the General Secretary of Nepal Olympic Committee and President of Nepal Ski

Association.

During his tenure, Shrestha was dragged into controversy when he dissolved 15 national sports associations including the elected ones. It was during his reign that football crisis reached its pinnacle, halting national league for two years. He also made a controversial decision dissolving the All Nepal Football Association and registering its parallel body — the Nepal Football Association, at the NSC. However, the two FAs have reached the agreement and the NFA is on verge of dissolution.

“I think both of my tenures were successful,” he said. “The sports sector was at zero level when I took charge and today we have moved very far,” he claimed. “We introduced Vision 2020 aiming for a gold medal in Olympics, worked for renovation and development of infrastructure, participated in number of international events, organised historic fifth National Games and established Sports Medicine and Research Centre,” he boasted.

Shrestha also highlighted the establishment of the Player Welfare Fund of Rs 10 million, started the Central Sports Academy in Hetauda, started the provision of allowance to the Olympians, prepared the Sports Policy and made initiative to include sports as a fundamental right in the to-be-formed Constitution. “We started so many things and much of them are incomplete. It needs more hard works to materialise all the projects,” added Shrestha.