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What's the story?
Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, in a tweet from his official account, stated that his team will look into the matter raised by Savita Punia, who is the goalkeeper of the Indian national women's hockey team and played a crucial role in the team's Asia Cup victory earlier this week.
Rathore wrote, "Have asked my team to obtain details on our #AsiaCup2017 star, Savita Punia. Will ensure she receives all the support possible from Govt. Our motto: #SuvidhaAurSamman."
In case you didn't know
Punia was one of India's most important performers at the Asia Cup and saved the crucial penalty in the shootout in the final against China, which helped India take it 5-4.
The custodian also crossed the 150-cap mark during the competition and has for long been one of the mainstays of the team.
The heart of the matter
After the Asia Cup win, it was brought to light that all these years, Punia had been playing without gaining any employment and that she has been trying to get a job for the last nine years. She mentioned that she had been promised one under a Haryana government scheme but so far, it was yet to materialize.
She also stated that she is forced to live off her father's income and that her application for a coaching job with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) also fell on deaf ears.
She then appealed to the sports minister to help her out in the situation, stating that he being an Olympic medalist, will understand her predicament.
What's next?
The Sports Minister's team will now hopefully look into Punia's situation and help her secure employment so that she can focus on her game completely.
Author's take
It is quite heartening to see such a swift response from the Sports Minister and one hopes he will resolve the matter quickly.
