Anil Vij, Haryana sports and youth affairs minister, on Saturday announced a cash reward of Rs 4 crore for Deepa Malik, India’s first woman athlete who won a silver medal at the Rio Paralympics.
He also announced that Malik would be given a government job on the basis of her academic qualifications. He said that the state government does not differentiate between Paralympics and Olympic medal winners.
The announcement came when the minister went to the IGI Airport in New Delhi to welcome Malik and said that it was a matter of pride that a sportsperson from Haryana had also won a medal at the Paralympics.
Deepa Malik's family and Jagdeep Singh, director of the department of sports and youth affairs, were also present during the announcement.
Deepa Malik with Anil Vij (second from right) at IGI Airport in New Delhi on Saturday.