We will happily pay for Olympic gold, but not to politicians or civil servants.

India, a nation of 1.30 billion people, is returning from Rio with just 2 medals, a silver in badminton and a bronze in wrestling, both women. As is usual after such a debacle the talking heads are out in force, each with his/her own solutions. One Chetan Bhagat makes it very simple. He writes that the reasons we do not win medals is because we do not value excellence, we are not fond of sports and we do not spend enough on training athletes. Australia, with a population of just 50 million, spends Rs 7 billion every year while our total sports budget is Rs 9 billion, of which only Rs 3 billion goes to training athletes. It will cost Rs 100 billion per year, which works out to Rs 80 per person per year, and bingo, we will win at least 12 gold medals in the next Olympics. We do value excellence which is why shopping malls are full of foreign brands and car companies introduce new models every year. Trouble is, excellence costs money and we do not earn enough. Today's young people are conscious of physical fitness and many spend a significant portion of their income to attend gyms. Trouble is, you need parks, swimming pools and jogging tracks for the public but the pressure of the exploding population means that any open space is gradually occupied by slums. As for paying Rs 80 per year, most Indians will happily pay Rs 800, provided no politicians or civil servants are involved. Our athletes traveled to Rio in economy class, cooped up like cattle, while politicians and civil servants went by business class. And why should a minister go with his wife? What does she contribute to justify such extravagance? Government figures show that there are a total of 186.4 million vehicles in the country, including two-wheelers, buses and trucks, while 76% of politicians are multi-millionaires. Politicians believe that taxpayer money belongs to them. The Delhi government has announced a reward of Rs 20 million for Ms Sindhu, who won a silver, and Rs 10 million for Ms Sakshi, who won a bronze. Wouldn't it have been better to spend money on their food, training and accommodation so that they could win gold? Even better. Andhra and Telangana governments are competing to reward Ms Sindhu, who is from Hyderabad. Rao of Telangana has announced a reward of 1000 sq yards of land. Land belongs to the nation, politicians are today's feudal masters. Politicians and civil servants are all suspect. A parliamentary panel has ruled that civil servants cannot even be investigated for crimes without government permission. That will give plenty of time for files to 'disappear' like in the Bihar fodder scam. Back in 2003 Murli Manohar Joshi decreed that all donations to IITs will go to Bharat Shiksha Kosh. People donated to US universities instead. Get the scum away, we will donate. Otherwise, forget it.