What do you think should be of immediate concern for bureaucrats and officials a couple of days before a major tournament? Venue readiness? State of the field? Or maybe accreditation hassles? But if you are in India, it is an intense debate over samosa and paneer pakoda. Yes you read it right. This is the topic of discussion in the sports ministry whether or not to drop these food items from the menu for school children in order to bring down the cost of the dinner packet from a measly Rs 89 to Rs 75. The dinner menu will be served to many of the school children, numbering roughly 26,000, who have been provided with complimentary tickets to fill up the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium on October 6, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to open the Under-17 World Cup. The amount (Rs 75) has been penciled on a ministry note, a copy of which is with this correspondent, duly signed by sports secretary Injeti Srinivas, who also holds the dual charge as director general Sports Authority of India (SAI). In the note Srinivas writes: "…Rs 75 per packet should suffice. Please ascertain from fast food suppliers such as Haldiram, Bikano etc."

Under-17 players training at New Delhi ahead of the World Cup