Paralympian HN Girisha yet to get job with SAI promised by Sports Ministry
Girisha also claimed that during the Padma Shri award ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in January this year, he had met with the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who promised to look into the matter.
London Paralympics silver medallist H N Girisha on Wednesday accused the Sport Ministry for not keeping its promise of giving him a "Class-1 Executive Officer" job with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) after his achievement at the Paralympic Games in the UK last year.
"Before the Olympics, the Sports Ministry announced that whoever will win a medal in London, would be given a Class-1 Executive Officer job in SAI. But I still haven't got a job," Girisha told PTI.
After returning from London, the 25-year-old high-jumper applied to for a job with SAI, which is a normal process, and was promised to be given one within a six-month time.
But since then a year has passed and he is yet to get any response from either SAI or the Sports Ministry.
Girisha also claimed that during the Padma Shri award ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in January this year, he had met with the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who promised to look into the matter.
"When I met the Prime Minister, he congratulated me. I gave him a letter and he said that he would forward it to the Sports Ministry," Girisha said.
He blamed the Sports Ministry for discriminating against the paralympians.
"Every Olympian, who is interested in SAI, has already got a job. But inspite of being a silver medal winner, I was denied any job," he said.
He, however, said that the Indian Government has handed him the cash amount of Rs 30 lakhs, as promised, for winning the silver medal in London.
The then Sports Minister Ajay Maken had announced that Girisha will be offered a job of a coach in Sports Authority of India at an officer level, besides getting a sum of Rs 30 lakhs as prize money.
But the Sports Ministry today denied that any such promise was made.
"We did offer jobs to the Olympians but not for the paralympians," a top Ministry official told PTI.
"But we have taken some people (para-athletes) as coaches (in SAI). I don't think Girisha is suitable for a coaching job. And there is no such thing as 'Class-1 Executive Officer' job in SAI," the official added.