Newly appointed to the charge of sports ministry, Kiren Rijiju has been trying to make himself appear as a hands-on and accessible minister. Soon after taking charge of the ministry, Rijiju met many prominent sportspersons and coaches of the country.
In another example of the proactivity of the union minister, he responded to a tweet put out by Deepthika Puthran, a powerlifter who secured silver in the National Powerlifting Championship, when she asked for help. Puthran has been selected to represent the country at the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championship that is scheduled to take place in Canada in September this year.
However, the lady from Mangalore found herself in a difficult situation as she didn't have the financial resources to be able to participate in the event. She decided to reach out to the sports minister in a unique way. First, Deepthika created her account on Twitter and then put out a tweet on July 5, addressed to the minister and tagging him, relating her conundrum and asking for his help.
The minister, apparently, took cognisance of this appeal and replied on the same platform to her. "Definitely @DeepthikaPuthr1, Please fill the forms through website http://Yas.nic.in. If you still find it difficult then send hard copies to my office," Rijiju wrote.
The encouraging response of the minister pleased Puthran who expressed her gratitude to him in a tweet where she wrote: "Thank you so much sir @KirenRijiju for your quick response. I will surely do it. We are extremely proud to have a leader like you."
On July 6, after taking further steps to help the powerlifter, the minister informed her of the fact. "I've already instructed Sports Authority of India (SAI) team to contact you," the minister said on his timeline. The fact that the minister's words were matched by actions was testified to by Puthran herself as she informed everyone, especially Rijiju that she has been contacted by SAI. Let's hope that Deepthika not only participates in the event but also wins a medal for India. Even if she doesn't, her participation itself would be a great achievement.
