Jabalpur, Apr 10: Sita Sahu, a differently abled teenager from Rewa, Madhya Pradesh won two bronze medals at the 2011 Athens Special Olympics for India, but is today selling 'gol gappas' (waterballs) with her mother in Jabalpur, says a media report.
Sita Sahu went with seven other differently abled sportsperson to Chief Minister shivraj Singh Chouhan's official residence on June 8, 2011 for tea, and a month later, won two bronze medals for India - in the 200 metres and 1,600 metres - in the Special Olympic Games in Athens.
Says her coach Sajid Masood: "There were announcements of cash prizes for Sita from the state government. Social justice minister Gopal Bhargava had announced Rs 1 lakh for gold, Rs 75,000 for silver and Rs 50,000 for bronze. Thus Sita was entitled to Rs 1 lakh. But nothing came her way despite several reminders while the CM rewarded Olympic winner from Haryana Sushil Kumar."
Sita's mother, Kiran Sahu, says: "They promised her the moon, but nothing has come her way. Now we have decided to teach her other skills that would fetch money."
Kiran refused to allow Sita to talk to the TOI reporter saying, "it will only upset her further".
"My daughter can roll out perfectly round 'gol gappas' and fry them golden brown," she said with a sense of pride.
The social justice minister said neither the girl nor her parents ever met him. "Now that I know about her plight, I will make all enquiries and help her out," Bhargava told TOI.
Geeta Kamte, joint director in the department of social justice, shifted the onus on the district administration. "The collector can grant her assistance of up to Rs 2 lakh, but we have no such authority."
"The 15-day stay in Athens had transformed her completely- from a diffident and morose girl to a confident teenager. She learnt to comb her hair neatly and mingle with other participants," said coach Sajid Masood who has since lost touch with her.
Usha Sahi, Sita's trainer, recounted that convincing Sita's parents was the most difficult hurdle. "When she won two bronze medals, they waited for the cash incentives announced, only to be disheartened. Any mention of her past makes the family fly into a rage. Hence I don't broach the topic," she said.
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