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Offers to fund marathon girls’ studies
Marathon runners Sunita Kanna and Savita Kamble may not have got the cash prize at the Half Marathon because of technical reasons, but they will get an award for the same amount.
Marathon runners Sunita Kanna and Savita Kamble may not have got the cash prize at the Half Marathon because of technical reasons, but they will get an award for the same amount.
A day after HT published the story, Lokbharati party — a two-year-old political party founded by ex-journalist Kapil Patil — said it would gift the two orphan girls from Sagroli village money as well as sports gear.
The duo had finished fourth and fifth, but had not worn the chip, mandatory for the cash award, as they could not afford it.
Had the girls run with the chips, which cost Rs 200 each, they would have collectively won $900 (Rs 45,000).
Lokbharati party president Kapil Patil said he would give the girls Rs 5,000 each and would buy them sports gear with the remaining amount. “Our general secretary… will hand over Rs 5,000 each to them on Tuesday,” Patil said. “We have asked the organisation supporting them to send us the bill for the gear they buy. We will reimburse them.”
“We are very happy that somebody is recognising the girls’ efforts,” the girls’ coach Bhagwan Nagargoje said.
