Even as Ritu Negi’s name was missing from the press release announcing a Rs 1-crore cash award for Himachal Pradesh’s women kabaddi players who won gold at the Asian Games, the state government has said she has not been excluded from the list of beneficiaries.
Naresh Chauhan, Principal Media Adviser to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, said the process of finalising the names of eligible players was still underway and all those found eligible would receive the award.
Asked why Ritu’s name was missing from the press release announcing the enhancement of the cash award from Rs 33 lakh to Rs 1 crore, Chauhan said she was not part of the group of players who had met the Chief Minister to seek an increase in the award amount. This could have led to the omission of her name from the list, he added.
“The CM has just announced the enhancement of the cash award to Rs 1 crore. The Sports Department will see who all are entitled to the award,” Chauhan said.
He added that players would have to apply for the award, following which the department would assess their eligibility.
Meanwhile, Raj Kumar Bharanta, president of the Himachal Pradesh Kabaddi Association, said the association would request the state government to consider Ritu’s case as well.
“We are thankful to the CM for increasing the award from Rs 33 lakh to Rs 1 crore. Ritu was given the award last time as well. So, the government should give it to her this time too, as there is nothing in our sports policy that makes her ineligible for the award,” Bharanta said.
A former Sports Department employee said the state’s sports policy should clearly define the eligibility criteria for such awards to avoid ambiguity and ensure that decisions are not left to individual discretion.
