BHOPAL: Daughter of a sanitation worker, Juhi Jha conquered all odds to win laurels for the country and her state, Madhya Pradesh, but has been struggling to get a job. Part of the Indian team that won the gold medal at Asian Kho Kho Championship 2016, Juhi was recently removed as a sports teacher in a private school even as she is still waiting to get a government job, which she is entitled to, being a recipient of MP’s highest sports honour Vikram Award in 2018.
Juhi, who lives with her parents and siblings in a rented shanty in Indore’s Banganga area, is a commerce graduate. For 12 years, the family stayed in a small room attached to a Sulabh toilet as her father worked there. They shift to the shanty after her father lost his job. Her mother somehow managed to make the ends meet by sewing clothes.
The family’s life took a turn for the better when Juhi was selected to be part of the Indian team in 2016. “After being part of the winning team, I was selected among top ten promising sportspersons for the Vikram Award and our life saw a turnaround. I got a job in a private school and was hopeful of getting a government job, too,” Juhi said. All Vikram Award winners are eligible to get a state government job.
Unfortunately, she lost the private job a few months back. “The school administration told me that since I’m eligible to get a government job, I might leave them. With lockdown limiting job opportunities, all my efforts to get a private job have gone in vain.” Juhi has been running from pillar to post, pleading officials in Indore and Bhopal to help her get even a Class III or IV contractual job, but without any success.
MP govt assures job
Additional Director, sports department, said his office will ensure that the process for job selection is accelerated for all Vikram awardees