Women’s football team meets Rajnath, gets assurance on sports infrastructure

Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 5

Members of Jammu and Kashmir’s first women football team today met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and apprised him of the difficulties being faced by sportspersons in the state and sought his help.

During the half-hour meeting, the team members requested the minister to provide better sports infrastructure to motivate the youth to take up sports in a big way.

Talking to The Tribune, head coach of the team Satpal Singh Kala said the Home Minister gave us a patient hearing and promised all possible help. “When we informed him about the poor sports facilities in the state, the Home Minister called up CM Mehbooba Mufti in front us, apprising her of our concerns and asking her to do the needful,” Kala said.

“The Home Minister also told us that Rs 100 crore had already been sanctioned (under PM’s special package) to the state.”

Captain of the visiting team Afshan Ashiq, who currently plays for a club in Mumbai, expressed her happiness that for the first time a team from the state had played in the Indian Women League, which was held in Kolhapur, Maharashtra.