Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Wednesday announced Rs 2 crore cash reward each to recently-crowned world boxing champion Nikhat Zareen from Nizamabad and shooter Esha Singh from Hyderabad for their splendid performance on the international arena and bringing laurels to Telangana state and India.
The Chief Minister also announced allotment of residential plots to both the champions either in Jubilee Hills or Banjara Hills. It may be recalled that DC had published a report ‘No reward for ‘golden’ Nikhat on May 27 on how the state government was not proactive in her case with respect to recognizing her achievements. Nikhat Zareen scripted history by becoming first from the state and also from South India to become world champion in the 52 kg category recently in Istanbul. Esha Singh won three gold medals in team events in the recently-concluded International Shooting Sport Federation Junior World Cup in Germany.
Earlier, the state government awarded Nikhat Zareen with Rs 50 lakh in 2014 to meet her training expenses.
While the state government has announced rewards for Nikhat Zareen, there has been a clamour in some sections of social media that her achievements have not been recognized by other states in the country, as was the case in the past when more than one state stepped up to honour athletes bringing laurels to the country. The noise on social media platforms, and on some hyperlocal YouTube ‘news’ channels, has focused on how Nikhat Zareen is being ignored because of her religion.
Among the first to congratulate Nikhat Zareen following her performance at the world boxing championship was AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi who tweeted about her victory and achievement. He also said he had spoken to the Chief Minister about providing her with assistance in the past following which the government had released Rs 50 lakh for her training. Owaisi, currently travelling in various states, was not reachable to find out if his party too has any plans on honouring Nikhat Zareen.
The state government also issued orders on Wednesday to hand over Rs 1 crore cash reward announced earlier to the ’12 metla kinnera’ artist and Padma Shri award winner Darshanam Mogulaiah. The government has also decided to allot a residential plot to him in BN Reddy Nagar Colony in the city.
