Will ask Sports Minister Pargat Singh to help Malika Handa, says Punjab Deputy CM Sukhjinder Randhawa
Jan 03, 2022
Jalandhar (Punjab) [India], January 3 : Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Monday said that he will ask Sports Minister Pargat Singh to help specially-abled chess player Malika Handa.
"Government should help her (speech impaired chess player Malika Handa). If she comes to me, I will definitely help her. I will ask Pargat Singh Ji (Punjab Sports Minister) to help her," State Deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa told reporters.
Earlier, Malika Handa's mother Renu Handa slammed the Punjab government and its Sports Minister Pargat Singh for not giving her daughter a job and cash reward promised to her by the earlier Amarinder Singh led government.
Malika Handa has bagged a gold medal and two silver medals at the World Deaf Chess Championships.
"Malika Handa will certainly get angry as Punjab government has not fulfilled its promise. For the past five years, they are only promising. First, Captain Amarinder Singh's government promised that they will give her job and cash awards but it remained only a promise. We also got an invitation letter that Malika will be given a cash award but due to Covid, the programme got postponed but after that, the government did not last. Channi Government came and their Sports Minister Pargat Singh came. We went to him and he said that we will give cash awards to players and Malika will be the top priority but Malika's name was not there. Now, Malika wants to know why her name is not there when you promised her. Later on, he said that there is no policy for her. "Renu Handa the mother of Malika Handa told ANI.