KTR extends Rs 15L assistance to specially-abled Punjab chess player

Hyderabad, Jan 10:  Telangana's Minister for industry and information technology K. T. Rama Rao on Monday extended financial support of Rs 15 lakh in his personal capacity to Malika Handa, specially-abled Chess player from Punjab.

A week after announcing support to the player, who has won a gold and two silver medals at the World Deaf Chess Championships, Rama Rao presented her a cheque when she called on him here.

KTR, as Rama Rao is popularly known, also gifted her a laptop. He said this will help her in preparation for future championships.

KTR, who is son of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, requested Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur to provide her a government job.

The Telangana minister had promised financial assistance to the player in his personal capacity on January 3 while reacting to tweets about the Punjab government allegedly denying her cash awards due to lack of a policy for deaf sportspersons.

According to the chess player, she was informed that the state government can't give her a job and cash reward as the government does not have any such policy for deaf sports.

She claimed that Punjab sports minister Pargat Singh told her that the promise was made by the minister in the previous government and the current government cannot do anything about it. She said she was hurt as her five years got wasted.