3 yrs on, Haryana sportspersons still await cash awards
CHANDIGARH: Three years after they made the country proud at the Youth World Championship held in Guwahati in November, 2017, four Haryana boxers are still awaiting the cash incentives promised by the state government.
The boxers-- Nitu (48kg), Sakshi (54kg), Jyoti Gulia (51kg) and Shashi Chopra (57kg), had all won gold medals at the championship and are entitled to a cash award of ₹10 lakh as per the Haryana government’s sports policy.
Nitu and Sakshi, both hailing from Dhanana village in Bhiwani, went on to win gold medals in 2018 too when the championship was held in Budapest, Hungary.
Four other girls from the state had also made it to the podium that year. While Anamika (51kg, Rohtak) and Manisha (64kg, Kaithal) won silver medals, Neha Yadav (+81kg, Kaithal) and Jony Phogat (60kg, Rohtak) won bronze medals.
The six of them had also won gold in the national championship held prior to the world meet.
For the gold in two world championships and one national event, Sakshi is entitled to get a cash award of ₹22 lakh, while Neetu, who had an additional gold medal in the 2018 Asian Youth Championship, has to get a cash award of ₹24.5 lakh from the Haryana government.
Jyoti, who hails from Rohtak’s Rurki village, has to get ₹12 lakh each for her gold medal in the 2017 youth world championship and 2017 national meet while Shashi Chopra (Hisar) has to get ₹10 lakh for her performance in world meet.
But none of them have got any incentive from the state government so far.
“Since 2017, we haven’t got any cash award for our achievements at the national and international competitions. In the first week of August, we (Sakshi and Neetu) got a message from the office of the district sports officer (DSO), Bhiwani, that the award money has been sanctioned and they will get it transferred to our respective bank accounts. It’s been more than a month since then but we have not received anything,” says 20-year-old Sakshi, whose father is a farmer.
“In 2015, when I won gold in the junior world championship, I got a cash award of ₹20 lakh. Now, as per the new sports policy, the cash award for sub-junior, junior and youth categories has been reduced to half and three-fourth. But we have not even got the slashed cash award,” adds Sakshi, who is now part of the senior women team.
“I am from a humble farming background, and yet to get a job. So cash awards are very important for players like me. With this (incentive), we can contribute to our family and also take care of our training whenever we are not at national camps,” says Jyoti, 19.
When contacted, Bhiwani DSO Satvinder Gill, said, “We have forwarded the case of Nitu and Sakshi to the head office in Chandigarh and from there, it has gone to the finance department (FD) for the release of the money. Once it is cleared from the FD, we will get the money and immediately transfer it to the players’ accounts. We will follow-up with the head office regarding this issue.”
THE GOLD MEDALLISTS OF YOUTH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE ENTITLED TO CASH AWARD OF ₹10 LAKH AS PER THE HARYANA GOVERNMENT’S SPORTS POLICY