Punjab’s Para Asiad heroes await rewards

Avneet Kaur

Jalandhar, July 5

Before the 2018 Para Asian Games, the Punjab government announced hefty cash rewards for athletes who would bring laurels to the state in various events. However, two years down the line, those promises have still not been fulfilled.

Three para-athletes from the state — Paramjeet Kumar from Jalandhar, Raj Kumar and Mohammed Yasser, both from Patiala — won bronze medals in the Para Asian Games in Jakarta. Paramjeet won his medal in powerlifting, Raj Kumar in badminton and Yasser in shot put. However, they have been running from pillar to post, requesting sports officials to recognise their achievements and award them cash prizes, as promised, but all in vain.

The three say that without a job and financial assistance, they have been struggling to make both ends meet. “I am suffering from polio, but defying all odds, I prepared hard for the 2018 Para Asian Games and won a bronze medal in powerlifting,” said Paramjeet Kumar. “I was honoured and given a Rs 10 lakh cash prize by the Central Government in 2018 itself after we returned from Jakarta, but the Punjab Sports Department till date has been making excuses and delaying our felicitation.”

“I met the sports minister and director of the Sports Department last year, and they promised they would honour para-athletes with the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award,” he added. “However, when the awards were handed over last year, our names were nowhere in the list.”

Raj Kumar and Yasser said that the general category athletes who won laurels in the Asian Games were felicitated with cash prizes last year.

“As per the Sports Department’s 2018 policy, the government has to provide Rs 50 lakh as cash incentive to bronze medallists of the Asian Games, along with a job… But looking at the situation, when even our cash prize hasn’t been handed over yet, thinking about a job seems to be a distant dream,” said Raj Kumar.

Yasser said he has started preparing for the Olympic Games and needs money to fund his training, and the state government must understand this and hand over cash rewards.

Sports Department director DPS Kharbanda said the government would soon hold an event to felicitate para-athletes.