Tokyo Olympic stars from Uttar Pradesh want jobs in home state

Many sportspersons from Uttar Pradesh have been playing for other states after getting employment there but now want to move back to their roots

A day after India won a historic bronze medal in men’s hockey at the Tokyo Olympics, ace midfielder Lalit Kumar Upadhyay expressed the wish to play for Uttar Pradesh in future if he is given a lucrative job offer in any government department in the state.

Lalit Kumar Upadhyay from Uttar Pradesh poses with the bronze medal that he won as a member of the Indian men’s hockey team at the Tokyo Olympics. (TWITTER IMAGE)

The 27-year-old hockey player from Varanasi has been serving an oil company as assistant manager at Mughalsarai for the last seven years.

Keen to play for his home state at the next nationals, Upadhyay said serving “your own state” is very important for a player like him.

Similarly, women’s team forward Vandana Katariya, who scored four goals including a hat-trick at the Tokyo Olympics where the Indian women’s team finished a historic fourth, too expressed the desire to shift to UP after leaving the Railways.

“Yes, I would love to do a job in UP, given the right opportunity,” she said from Tokyo on Friday.

“Many state governments across the country are offering lucrative jobs, including the post of deputy superintendent of police (DSP). I would love to serve my own state if given similar a job opportunity in the days to come,” said Lalit, adding, “When I get to meet CM Yogi Adityanath Sir the next time, I will surely make an official request to him.”

The chief minister recently announced the re-launch of recruitment of sportspersons in almost all the government departments under a 2% quota system. The effort is being viewed as “great” support to the Uttar Pradesh sportspersons, many of whom have been playing for other states after getting jobs there.

“As the CM said, the process of filling the 2% sports quota in government offices has begun. Soon, the government will come out with some more plans for sportspersons, including a raise in their prize money,” a top government official said on condition of anonymity.

“The government is committed to the development of sports and sportspersons. That’s the reason why the chief minister himself addressed all the 10-Tokyo Games bound athletes from Uttar Pradesh through a virtual meeting. Thereafter, an additional sum of ₹2 lakh for their preparation/kits was assured, besides sanctioning the mandatory ₹10 lakh as participation fee,” he said.

As promised by the chief minister before the start of the Tokyo Games, all the 10 athletes and their families are expected to have a face-to-face interaction with Yogi Adityanath later this month at a function here.

“We are in the process of finalising the date for the felicitation of all the 10 athletes and their families at a function here in the last week of this month,” said the official.

Uttar Pradesh Olympic Association secretary Anandeshwar Pandey, too, supported the demand of Uttar Pradesh athletes for jobs in their own state.

“The UPOA has been fighting for this cause since long and this would be a great gesture by the state government if it offers suitable jobs to deserving candidates.”

“Filling sports quota vacancies in the state government is a very good move and I hope that many more would get suitable jobs in various departments in the near future,” he said.

“This is the way to bring all the migrant sportspersons back into our fold. It will help raise the sports standard of Uttar Pradesh at the national and international levels,” he added.

As per the government’s scheme, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay would get ₹1 crore for his bronze-medal win and an additional ₹2 lakh as preparation fee, whereas nine others would be richer by ₹12 lakh each.

A steep raise in the prize money is also likely in the near future, according to those privy to the issue.

“We are trying to ensure parity with the prize money for athletes of states like Haryana. If everything goes well, Uttar Pradesh too would offer one of the biggest purses to Olympic medallists,” said another official.

HOW UP ATHLETES FARED AT TOKYO GAMES

Lalit Kumar Upadhyay (hockey, Varanasi): Bronze medal.

Vandana Katariya (hockey, Meerut): Fourth position.

Saurabh Chaudhary (pistol shooting, Meerut): Seventh position.

Mairaj Ahmed Khan (skeet shooting, Bulandshahr): 25th position.

Shivpal Singh (javelin, Varanasi): Failed to qualify for the finals.

Annu Rani (javelin, Meerut): Failed to qualify for the finals.

Seema Punia (discus, Meerut): Failed to qualify for the finals.

Priyanka Goswami (walk-race, Meerut): Finished 17th.

Satish Kumar (boxing, Bulandshahr): Lost in quarterfinal.

Arvind Singh (rowing, Bulandshahr): 11th position.