Jwala vents ire for being left out of funding scheme

New Delhi, April 2: India’s premier women’s doubles shuttler Jwala Gutta on Thursday lashed out at the Indian government after finding herself left out of the scheme to fund the country’s top prospective medal winners at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Jwala’s doubles partner Ashiwni Ponppa — 2011 World Championships bronze medallists — was also left out of the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme of the sports ministry that is supposed to fund prospective medal winners.

Badminton has become the first sport to benefit from the scheme. The ministry of youth affairs and sports signed a Memorandum of Understanding with India Infrastructure Fince Company Limited (IIFCL), a company under the fince ministry, to provide fincial support to badminton on March 30.

According to the MOU, IIFCL will contribute Rs.30 crore (Rs.10 crore each year for three years) to the scheme under its initiatives for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Jwala came down hard on the government for its decision to exclude the duo from the important scheme.

“So, I just read news about Ashwini and my mes not being there in top scheme. The only support we had was of the Govt. of India...and now that also seems bleak,” Jwala wrote on her Facebook page on Thursday.

“The players who are already having lot of corporate support are in the list...and Ash and me not considered. Dont know what more to be done...Kinda tired...kinda disappointed. And if we speak its called cribbing...and if we dont we will be just left out.”

Jwala said that inspite of all the hardships faced by the doubles players in the country, they had still won laurels and were looking towards the government for support in order to sustain their performance at intertiol events.

“We have struggled so much to just play doubles even after the performance which was never expected...but continuously being discouraged like this by association and now the govt...how else r we suppose to motivate ourselves!!!,” she wrote. IANS