New Delhi: The Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) has announced that it will provide monthly financial aid to former women cricketers from the state who are not covered under the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) pension scheme.
Under the new scheme approved by the MPCA after the proposals were put forward in its managing committee meeting on March 31, former international players hailing from the state will receive Rs 12,500 per month, while domestic cricketers will be eligible for support ranging from Rs 6,000 to 10,000 depending on the number of matches played under the Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI) or BCCI.
“When we came here with the new committee, we had been thinking about this for a long time - that the women’s pension scheme should be opened for ex-cricketers. Our committee came in September last year, and we have been working on this since then. Now to see it become a reality, this is the achievement of our whole committee, in which there was a lot of support from Mahanaaryaman Scindia ji,” said Arundhati Kirkire, the MPCA Joint Secretary, to IANS on Thursday.
Beneficiaries above 75 years will receive an additional 7,500 rupees, with the players required to apply for the scheme. The scheme will be effective April 1, adding to similar pension programmes already in place for former women cricketers in Karnataka (who will offer Rs 15,000 pension to players above 55), Bengal, Gujarat, Baroda, and Vidarbha. IANS