Rathore short-changed

How much do you think Lt-Col Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore will receive from the government for his Olympic silver when the Sports Ministry han...

How much do you think Lt-Col Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore will receive from the government for his Olympic silver when the Sports Ministry hands out its awards here tomorrow? Not the Rs 75 lakh as promised by Uma Bharati during her tenure; not even a quarter that amount.

In a classic example of politicans’ doublespeak, he will receive Rs 18 lakh; the official reason cited is ‘‘cost-cutting measures’’ by the ministry.

Uma Bharati had made the promise as Sports Minister in September 2002, in the wake of a record haul for India at the Manchester

Commonwealth Games. Olympic medals, she said, would fetch the winners Rs 1 crore, Rs 75 lakh and Rs 50 lakh for gold, silver and bronze. Medals at other world meets would fetch Rs 20, 15, and 10 lakh.

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However, neither she nor her successor Vikram Verma could get Cabinet approval for the massive hike. The ministry paid out for the first flush of medals but baulked at the Big O.

	WIDE OF THE MARK

			• The new guidelines also exclude shooting world cups from the list of ‘‘world-level’’ tournaments for the purpose of the award. Only the world cup finals, for which the top 10 shooters qualify, will be considered. • The decision has sparked a protest by the NRAI, which has asked the ministry to reconsider the decision. ‘‘The world cups are where Olympic ‘quota’ places are won, the standard is very hig’’, said NRAI secretary-general Baljit Singh Sethi.

After consulting the Finance ministry, sports ministry officials have drawn up fresh guidelines for Olympic medal-winners: gold will fetch Rs. 30 lakh, silver Rs. 18 lakh and bronze Rs. 12 lakh.

Rathore, who is in Melbourne, could not be contacted. The Indian Express spoke to his publicist-aide Anita Lobo, who said she expected the goverenment to give cash awards befitting the achievement. ‘‘It’s a matter of national pride to win medals at the Olympics and Rathore’s silver is the first for India after so many years. I would have expected the sports ministry to honour Uma Bharati’s words.’’