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| Sher-i-Kashmir/State Awardees awaiting award for years | | No cash award announced for Jammu's Asian medalist | | Abodh Sharma
Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 23: With self styled sports administrators and sports promoters falling over each other seeking credit in any which way over the bronze medal won by Surya Bhanu Pratap of Jammu at the ongoing Asian Games, the fact of the matter is that while many other states governments have already announced huge cash awards for the medal winners of their states, there is no such announcement for Bhanu.
Surya Bhanu is the first sportsman from the state to have won a medal at the Asian Games and despite an arduous journey to the highest podium of Asia despite all odds, this SPO of the J&K Police is yet to hear from the state government, his employers or the J&K Olympic Association, about any cash award.
Interestingly, Bhanu is also 'recipient' of Sher-i-Kashmir/State Award, which he never received. Shamefully, many of those nominated for state awards and Sher-i-Kashmir awards during last several years are still waiting for the honour.
The awards institutionalized to honour the outstanding achievers of the State in a calendar year, are postponed repeatedly one pretext or the other. Sources in the Sports Council divulge that the award ceremony could not be held for one reason or the other, but this time everything was put in place. "The citations have been made and even the Chief Minister had agreed to do the honours, but unexpected political developments left us with no choice but to postpone the function indefinitely for yet another time" said a senior officer in the Council.
The sportspersons are a dejected lot. They have become so weary of the repeated deferments that they wish they were never nominated for them. "Government of India holds several functions annually to honour achievers with Padma awards, Arjuna, Dronacharya and Khel Ratna awards and many other awards in the field of literature, performing Arts and several others, but why is it that our state government does not have time to honour achievers from the state?" said Palak Bijral, an ace gymnast who was nominated for State award, but was not actually 'awarded'. "This is a disgrace and insult to the recipients and government has no right to shame us" she added. |
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