Malika Handa accuses Punjab Sports Minister of 'fooling her' over job and cash reward
Handa said that she was 'clearly' informed by the Punjab Sports Minister Pargat Singh that the promise was made by the previous government "cannot do anything about it"
FollowMalika Handa, the World Deaf Chess Champion, has recently accused the Punjab government of failing to provide her with a job and a monetary incentive, claiming that the state government does not have a policy for the specially-abled sportsperson.
On Sunday, the Punjab state's specially-abled chess player stated that Punjab Sports Minister Pargat Singh "clearly" informed her that the pledge was made by the previous administration and that he "cannot do" anything about it. She also stated that her five years were squandered.
Handa voiced her outrage on Twitter, writing that she was upset on December 31st when she visited with the Punjab state sports minister, who told her that the government could not provide her with a position and a prize (cash) since they do not have a policy for deaf sports. She alleges that the ex-sports minister announced the monetary reward for her and that she also has a letter of invitation with her name on it, but that it was canceled because of COVID-19. After hearing this, the state sports minister (Pargat Singh) stated that it was the previous administration, not him, who made the announcement, and that the current government is unable to intervene.
According to Handa, the previous Punjab sports minister announced a monetary prize for her. She also questioned why it was announced if it was not intended to deliver. They simply deceived her. She also stated that the government is unconcerned with deaf athletes. The district Congress leaders have offered her their support. Nothing has changed in five years.
Earlier in 2019, Twitter witnessed a spat between Haryana sports minister Anil Vij and ace shooter Manu Bhaker over the financial prizes offered. The 16-year-old questioned if Vij planned to follow through on his promise to honour her with a Rs 2 crore prize for winning the Youth Olympic Games-2018. Bhaker turned to Twitter and simply uploaded screenshots from the politician's Twitter account, followed by the question: "Sir, could you please check whether this is accurate... Or just Jumla........"
The image shows the state sports minister declaring that the Haryana state government, run by the BJP, will pay the sportsperson a financial reward of Rs 2 crore, as opposed to the previous government's monetary award of Rs 10 lakh.
Bhaker, a World shooting champion from Goria hamlet in Jhajjar, has won gold medals in the ISSF World Cup and the Commonwealth Games. She most recently won first place in the Youth Olympics in October.
