The Kerala government has finally announced Rs 2 crore and a promotion for PR Sreejesh
On Wednesday, August 11, the Kerala government, which had been chastised for failing to declare any honors for Indian hockey team goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, offered a financial prize of Rs 2 crore and job promotion for the Olympic medalist. The Kerala cabinet, which convened on August 11th, voted to promote Sreejesh to the position of Joint Director in the Department of General and Higher Education, where he is currently a Deputy Director. The government also announced a Rs 5 lakh incentive for the eight Kerala athletes who qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. Last week, the Indian men’s hockey team made history after defeating Germany in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to bring a long-awaited bronze medal back to India.
The Kerala administration was chastised by Congress for failing to announce the award sooner. K Babu, a Congress MLA from Tripunithura, inquired in the assembly whether the Kerala government was waiting for Karkidaka month to end. Many people believe that the month of Karkidaka, or Ramayana, is unlucky. The Congress MLA pointed out that the Haryana government had promised Rs 6 crore for Neeraj Chopra, while other states had given hockey players awards. “Dr. Shamseer Vayalil gave Sreejesh a Rs 1 crore prize, shame on the government,” Babu stated. Shamseer Vayalil is the chairman of VPS Healthcare, which is headquartered in the United Arab Emirates.
Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, 33, of Kerala, was recognized for his skill during the team’s matches, but the Kerala government’s tardiness in recognizing his accomplishments has not gone ignored. While Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan issued a statement in support of Sreejesh, the government has yet to declare a prize for him. Anju Bobby George, a retired athlete, told Mathrubhumi TV. “One should comprehend the worth of an Olympic medal.” Anju, a World champion in the IAAF World Athletics Final, said that the Kerala government had been hesitant to offer her a financial award when she had previously won medals, whereas the Tamil Nadu government had been considerably more prompt in its reward.
The government came under fire after Neeraj Chopra, who won India’s solitary gold medal of the games in the men’s javelin throw, was granted Rs 6 crore as a monetary reward by the Haryana government. Other Olympians have also been honoured by their home governments: Vivek Sagar and Nilkanta Sharma, both members of the men’s hockey team, were awarded Rs 1 crore by the Madhya Pradesh government, and weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu was awarded Rs 1 crore by the Manipur government, in addition to being appointed the Additional Superintendent of Police (Sports).
