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When Narendra Modi took over as Prime Minister (PM) of India, the tag line “achche din aane waale hain” could be seen everywhere, and the PM seems to have set forth in proving the tagline correct, when he helped upcoming Indian tennis player Ankita Raina by financing her travelling expenses.
Ankita met the PM and told him the financial constraints she had to encounter in order to play tournaments abroad. She played just 13 overseas tournaments overseas 2013.
"His reassurance to me was 'you play, we will take care of the rest'," Ankita said in an interview to PTI just before catching a flight to Uzbekistan to compete in her eighth event abroad this season.
The PM made her a beneficiary of the Shaktidhoot Yojna. "He gave me a patient hearing. I told him that I am India's number one player and the first from Gujarat to achieve it but still struggle to get sponsors. I can't travel much due to financial constraints. He promised me that something would be done. And within a month I got a cheque of Rs. 5 lakh and now all my travel expenses are taken care of," Ankita said.
The money is certainly helping her immensely to compete in an otherwise expensive sport.
Ankita’s coach Hemant Bendre said that the government is planning to start a policy which would support players of different fields.
"It all happened very fast. They launched the policy within a month of that meeting and Ankita along with others started receiving the financial support. It was a fantastic move by them and I hope other state governments also follow the same policy," Bendre said from Pune adding that Ankita has been promised support of Rs 25 lakh per year.
Bendre will have the tough job of presenting a report card of Ankita’s performance in these two months, where she will be actively involved in various tournaments.
The All India Tennis Association also has been doing their bit by organizing ITF tournaments, which helps upcoming tennis players immensely from financial point of view.
