Para-Athlete Begging On Street After MP Govt Fail To Give Him His Promised Job

At a time when winning athletes from the Asian Games are earning all the praise, a para-athlete from Madhya Pradesh is begging on the streets. During Asian Games, that ended on September 9, an assortment of 69 medals was won by our sportspersons and many incredible stories of hard work and passion came up. Unfortunately, Manmohan Singh Lodhi, a national-level para-sprinter from Narsinghpur and once known as Madhya Pradesh’s best para-athlete, has no other way but to beg on the streets of Bhopal to earn a living.

According to India TV, the athlete says that he started begging since the state government (BJP) was not delivering on their promises. He says that the government had promised him a job among other things after he won a medal at the national level. Lodhi, who comes from a financially weaker economic background, while speaking about the promises made by the government, said, “I have met Chief Minister (Shivraj Singh Chouhan) four times, he made promises but didn’t fulfil any of them. So if the CM doesn’t help me, I will earn my livelihood by begging on the streets.”

Madhya Pradesh: Manmohan Singh Lodhi, a National-level para-sprinter from Narsinghpur, says he has started begging on the streets of Bhopal since the state govt is not fulfilling the promises of a government job among others made to him, after he won medals on national level pic.twitter.com/0MjUz7P9jg

— ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2018

His background

Para-sprinter Lodhi hails from Kandrapur village of Narsinghpur district in Madhya Pradesh. Even after Lodhi lost one of his arms in an accident in 2009, his disability did not break his spirit.

Coming from a small town, Lodhi won several national and state level awards. In 2017, Lodhi won a silver medal in 100-200 m sprint in Ahmedabad. This was the same time when he was declared the best para-athlete in MP and was promised a government job. However, the government did not keep their promise. Lodhi failed to secure another job due to his disability.

In 2017, the MP government had announced 6000 job openings for Divayangs (Specially-abled). Hoping to get a job, Lodhi also applied, but his luck and sports credentials did not help him. Disheartened and disappointed, Lodhi has decided to beg on the streets to make ends meet.

Asian games

On Sunday, India finished the 18th edition of the Asian Games with the highest count of medals so far. India won 15 gold, 24 silver and 30 bronze medals in the competition.

According to the Quint, Indian women’s hockey team captain Rani Rampal was India’s flag-bearer at the closing ceremony. The closing ceremony saw the sky getting filled with an assortment of colours with fantastic fireworks on display.

The Logical Indian would urge the M.P government to intervene in the matter as soon as possible and provide athlete Manmohan Singh Lodhi what he deserves. This is a shame for the country that these athletes who work so hard to make the nation proud are denied necessary facilities and are forced to resort to desperate measures to fulfil their dreams.

Also Read: With Father Battling Cancer, Tajinderpal Wins Gold In Asian Games 2018