RAS question
What is the minimum number of Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOMs) required in the General Body of each National Sports Body under the new rules?
Correct answer: (B) 4.
Each National Sports Body must include at least four Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit in its General Body under the new rules.
Explanation
The required minimum is four Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit, or SOMs, in the General Body of each National Sports Body. The PIB release says the National Sports Bodies Rules, 2026 provide the framework for including SOMs, the composition of the General Body and Executive Committee, election procedures, and disqualification criteria. Among the salient provisions, it specifically states that National Sports Bodies must include at least four SOMs in their General Bodies. It also adds a representation rule: fifty per cent of the SOMs in the General Body must be women. The same rules set another governance control, the Rs. 5 lakh cap on the Electoral Officer's fee per election.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Two is below the stated minimum because the rules require at least four SOMs in the General Body of each National Sports Body.
- (C) Six overstates the minimum; the rules set the floor at four SOMs, not six.
- (D) Eight is not the required minimum because the rules only mandate at least four SOMs in the General Body.
Concept
This tests sports governance under Indian polity, especially statutory rules on the composition and election framework of National Sports Bodies. It recurs in RAS because examiners often ask precise institutional numbers from newly notified governance rules.