Athlete forced to sell vegetables in Jharkhand

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    Ranchi, Jun 30 (PTI) Budding athlete Geeta Kumari was
forced to sell vegetables in the streets of Jharkhand's
Ramgarh district to make ends meet.
    Chief Minister Hemant Soren's intervention helped
Kumari to get Rs 50,000 from the Ramgarh district
administration and also a monthly stipend of Rs 3,000 to
pursue her athletics career.
    Soren received information on his twitter handle that
Kumari has turned into a roadside vegetable seller due to
financial problems. The chief minister directed the Ramgarh
deputy commissioner to assist Kumari financially so that she
could pursue her athletics career.
    The Ramgarh Deputy Commissioner (DC) Sandeep Singh
gave a cheque of Rs 50,000 to Kumari on Monday and also
announced Rs 3,000 monthly stipend to the athlete and arranged
for her training at a sports centre, an official release said.
    Kumari had won eight gold medals at state-level
walking competitions and won a silver medal and a bronze medal
in competitions held in Kolkata, the release said
    Wishing the athlete all success in the world of
sports, the deputy commissioner said, "There are several
sportspersons in Ramgarh who are capable of winning laurels
for the country, and the administration will ensure they get
support."
    Kumari's cousin Dhanjay Prajapati said, "She sells
vegetables and also is a final year BA student in Ananda
College, Hazaribag, in the neighbouring district. Her family
is financially weak and my sister wants to pursue her pet
event. Now that the administration has given assistance she is
very happy."
    Earlier this month the Jharkhand government had
provided financial assistance to national level archer Sonu
Khatoon of Dhanbad district, who was forced to sell vegetables
to earn a living for her family. PTI PVR
RG RG

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)