RUDRAPUR: Three years after she represented India at the Commonwealth Karate Championship in 2015, Simran Kaur, now 13, has received a cheque of Rs 2,500 from the sports directorate. This has left the family of the karate player who played in the sub-junior category seething. The parents have returned the cheque and said that they would not be able to let the girl continue her training as they could not afford it. The father, who drives a truck, said that they were forced to cut corners to help their daughter train and as a result she even won gold at the National Karate Championship in 2017.Sandeep Kaur, Simran’s mother, said, “The government talks of supporting sports talent in the state but the cash award it is giving is a meagre amount. We can’t afford to pay for her training.”Simran’s mentor, Rahul Sharma, said that earlier the award for a participant at the Commonwealth Karate Championship was Rs 50,000 but it had now reduced to Rs 2,500. Sharma said, “For most players from a poor background, it is difficult to survive on such a meagre amount.”Simran’s coach, Laxman Singh said, “She has been a five-time Uttarakhand Federation champion. She participated in CWKC 2015 held in Delhi but unfortunately could not bag any medal. She was awarded Rs 50,000 by the government in 2016, but after that there was no help.”Talking to TOI, Simran said, “I have returned the cheque to the district sports officer along with a memorandum addressed to the sports minister. They talk of beti padhao beti bachao, but when it comes to empowering girls they fall short of funds.”Meanwhile, district sports officer Rashika Siddiqui said that the memorandum had been forwarded to the ministry of sports.

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