Operation Kalikkalam: Vigilance Finds Major Irregularities in Kerala Sports Councils

The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has detected widespread financial irregularities, suspected corruption, and administrative lapses in the Kerala State Sports Council and district sports councils across the State. The findings emerged from a statewide surprise inspection codenamed ‘Operation Kalikkalam’, conducted as part of Project Zero, an initiative to detect and prevent corruption in government institutions through proactive vigilance measures.

According to the VACB, the inspection unearthed issues ranging from the diversion of funds and procurement without following tender procedures to the selection of ineligible athletes for State championships and the receipt of payments from contractors through digital payment platforms.

Among the major findings was the diversion of ₹1.30 crore from security deposits collected by the Kozhikode District Sports Council. In Alappuzha, irregularities were found in purchases worth over ₹14 lakh. At the State Sports Council headquarters, sports equipment and five laptops were reported missing. The inspection also found instances of officials receiving payments from athletes and contractors through UPI transactions.

Preliminary inspections revealed that most district sports councils had failed to fully utilise funds received under the Panchayat Yuva Krida Khel Abhiyan (PYKKA), a Central scheme aimed at promoting sports at the grassroots level, within the stipulated period. The State Sports Council, the apex body for sports in Kerala, was also found to have failed in its supervisory responsibilities over the district councils.

The VACB found that athletes who had not qualified in district championships were selected to participate in State championships. Sports equipment purchased using funds received by the councils remained undistributed and unused in storerooms. In many districts, officials purportedly collected registration fees from athletes through UPI transactions without issuing proper receipts.

Indoor stadiums under the control of district sports councils were being rented out without uniform criteria, with different amounts collected from different individuals. An official was allegedly found to have received payments through UPI from contractors who were awarded projects by the State Sports Council.

The operation also detected the appointment of a consultant without the requisite government sanction and irregular payment of various allowances to a former State Sports Council president without authorisation.

Besides, a government official was found to have served as president of a district sports council between 2019 and 2021 without the necessary government order or approval. The official had received travelling and other allowances while holding the position.

In another instance, a technical officer, who was among the council’s permanent coaches, had received house rent allowance along with salary between July 2022 and May 2026, although the officer was regularly occupying a room at the P.T. Usha Coaching Centre near the sports council office in Thiruvananthapuram.

A substantial quantity of sports equipment and other materials received from the National Games Academy, which remained recorded as undistributed stock, could not be located either in the office or its storeroom. Officials were unable to provide a satisfactory explanation for their absence, official sources said.

The VACB’s Operation Kalikkalam is part of ongoing efforts to curb corruption in government institutions. Further investigations are expected to follow.