HYDERABAD: Here is good news for Saina Nehwal and shooter Gagan Narang. The two ace sportspersons will, after all, get their dues of Rs 50 lakh each for their bronze medal winning efforts in the 2012 London Olympics. Their drafts were ready by May this year much before the bifurcation of the state but for some reason the money could not be presented to Saina and Narang. Also to be rewarded with cash prizes of Rs 25 lakh each are World Cup kabaddi members Mamata Pujari and Nagalaxmi.
Saina, Narang and Mamata hail from Telangana while Nagalaxmi belongs to Andhra Pradesh. Saina became the first Indian to win a badminton Olympic medal when she clinched the women’s singles bronze while Narang bagged a bronze in the 10-metre air-rifle event.
Pujari and Nagalaxmi were members of the the Indian women’s team that won gold in 2012 World Cup championship.
According to sports authority sources, the cash prizes will be presented to the players as per suitable dates. Saina had tweeted on Thursday that she was very hurt that she had still not received the cash for the Olympic bronze medal.
She was reacting after Sania Mirza was named Ambassador of Telangana and was given Rs 1 crore by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.
Sania expressed her sympathies with Saina. Sania spoke highly of the badminton star. “I think Saina is an excellent sportsperson and I hope she gets what she deserves. In fact, I will be putting in a word with the Telangana Chief Minister. I have nothing much to say,” she said at press conference.
However, other meritorious sportspersons, who won laurels in international and national meets, have to wait. Among them is last year’s badminton World championship bronze medallist PV Sindhu. A total of 650 sportspersons are due to get cash incentives from the government. A sum of Rs 1.43 crore is needed to be distributed among the sportspersons. But with the state bifurcated, it remains to be seen as to how this money will be raised.