A year on, shuttler Abhinn Shyam waits for honorarium

LUCKNOW: Arjuna awardee shuttler Abhinn Shyam Gupta was delighted on August 29 last year when he came to know that he, along with a few others, would get Rs 20,000 as monthly honorarium.

The state government announced the decision on the occasion of the National Sports Day during the distribution of the prestigious Laxman and Rani Laxmi Bai awards. His wait for honorarium is still on.

“I don’t know what happened after the announcement, but I haven’t been given a single rupee as pension,” the former French Super Series winner told HT on Wednesday. Abhinn, who belongs to Allahabad and has been an Olympian, also confessed that nobody had even contacted him. “I was waiting to be asked to fill some forms or complete other formalities, but it never happened,” he said.

The government had sanctioned the monthly honorarium to all the Padma, Khel Ratna, Arjuna and Dronacharya awardees of Uttar Pradesh. If sources are to believed, the government may announce some sops for coaches this time when 20 sportspersons, including former hockey Olympian Mohd Shahid (posthumous) would receive Laxman and Rani Laxmi Bai awards on the occasion of National Sports Day on August 29 here.

Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav would distribute the awards to the sportspersons, including big names like Team India star Suresh Raina. With the hike in prize money coming into effect from this year, each awardee would be given Rs 3.11 lakh, a scroll of honour and a statue of Lord Laxman or Rani Laxmi Bai. The official list of awardees is expected to be announced within a day or two. “Will soon announce the names of awardees this year,” principal secretary, sports, Anita Bhatnagar Jain told HT on Wednesday.