Assandh sportsperson has no funds to participate in CWG

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, October 18

The dreams of 24-year-old budding sportsperson Naveen Juneja, son of a vegetable vendor of Assandh, who has been selected to represent India in the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championship-2015 to be held at Vancouver, Canada, from November 30 to December 6, can shatter owing to the fund crunch to travel abroad.

Even as Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today announced a grant of Rs 51,000 for Naveen, he needs Rs 2.45 lakh to participate in the games.

“I had been working hard for a long time for these games. Now, even after qualifying for the Commonwealth Games, it looks like a distant dream to me due to lack of funds,” said Naveen. He maintained, “My father is a vegetable vendor and has been trying hard to arrange money, but it is a big amount. We are four siblings and my father is the only breadwinner of the family.”

Naveen said he had played for the state earlier and won three gold, one bronze and one silver medals.

His family members approached the OSD to CM Amrinder Singh for help, who assured them of taking up the issue with the CM.