The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MYAS) has approved an amount of Rs 2 Lakh for Karnataka's V Tejaswini Bai, who won the Arjuna Award in 2011 and was a member of the Women’s Kabaddi team that won gold medals at the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games respectively.

The financial assistance has been approved from the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay National Welfare Fund for the Sportspersons, under the ongoing jointly collaborated initiative from the Sports Authority of India, Indian Olympic Association and the MYAS to support ex-international athletes and coaches amid ongoing Covid-19.

Tejaswini and her husband contracted Covid-19 on May 1. While she has a little cough but is on the path of recovery at home, her husband Naveen succumbed to the virus on May 11. “He was just 30 but he was panicking a lot after the death of his father. It was the fear and stress that took his life,” Tejaswini mentioned. On the financial assistance, she added, “I was not expecting this but the Sports Ministry, SAI and IOA took very prompt action to take this decision of giving us the assistance. This is the first time that we have been given such support. Many people like us have financial problems and if we get the proper help, it feels good.”

Tejaswini informed that she came to know about the initiative from the Karnataka Sports committee member and former Arjuna Awardee Mr Honnaappa Gowda and now wants to invest the money to safeguard the future of her child. “I have to take care of my 5 months old baby and also invest on her future from this money. I am the only parent now and will have to do something for my child,” she said.  

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NB/OA