Chandigarh, September 1:
Punjab Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi today handed over a cheque of Rs.5 lakh on behalf of Punjab Government to the mother of Olympic qualifier and Punjab’s maiden women boxer Simranjit Kaur at Ludhiana. This prize was announced by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh after a recent meeting with boxer Simranjit Kaur in his office.
Rana Sodhi said that Simranjit Kaur is the first Punjabi woman boxer to qualify for the Olympic Games. Congratulating the mother of the sportsperson, he said that not only Punjab but the entire country is also proud of her, who won a silver medal in the Asia-Oceania Qualifiers and now she will represent India in the world’s largest sports arena.
The Sports Minister said that boxer Simranjit Kaur was also a beacon light for the girls of the state, those who wanted to make their career in the field of boxing. “This was an extraordinary achievement of the daughter of an ordinary family and every possible help would be provided from the state government to move her forward”, he added.
Rana Sodhi also announced that the entire cost for Olympic preparations of Simranjit Kaur would be borne by the state Government. He said that Simranjit Kaur of village Chakar, district Ludhiana had started her career from the village. She won a bronze medal in the Junior World Championships in 2013, a bronze medal in the Senior World Championships in 2018 and a silver medal at the Asian Boxing Championships in 2019. She also learned the new techniques of boxing at the Punjab Institute of Sports in Mohali and currently preparing herself for the Olympics.
Simranjit Kaur’s mother Rajpal Kaur expressed gratitude towards the Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh and assured that Simranjit Kaur would definitely win the gold medal in the Olympics with the hard work and cooperation of the state Government. On this occasion, District Sports Officer Mr. Ravinder Singh, Senior Youth Congress Leader Mr. Harkaran Singh Vaid was also present.
