Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant on Friday responded to a video by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, in which the latter claimed the state government had provided “out-of-turn” jobs to international medal-winning athletes. On Thursday, Dhami had honored Lakshya Sen, Parmjeet Singh, Suraj Pawar, and Ankita Dhyani, who represented India at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Each athlete received Rs 50 lakh from the CM for their achievements.
Pant, who hails from Roorkee, was notably absent from the event, which was held to celebrate National Sports Day. In a tweet, Pant remarked, "Sir hum bhi Uttarakhand se hai waise. Hum bhi Uttarakhand ke players ko aage badhte dekhna chahte hai." (Sir, we are also from Uttarakhand. We also wish to see Uttarakhand players progress. In response, Dhami acknowledged Pant’s comment, stating, "You are the pride of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand and a source of inspiration for young players. We always stand with you."
The event also saw the launch of the UKSRS portal, allowing state athletes to register and record their achievements in one place. The chief minister distributed scholarships totaling 58.5 lakh rupees to 3,900 players under the Udyam Khiladi Unnayan Yojana. Additionally, 7.4 crore rupees were transferred via DBT to 392 individuals, including 269 national, 58 international players, and 65 coaches. Dhami further announced the introduction of undergraduate courses related to sports activities for students at Maharana Pratap Sports College, Dehradun. These courses will be linked to the under-construction sports university.
Pant, who recently played in the T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka, is preparing for the 2024 Duleep Trophy with Team India B. He is also expected to make his Test comeback in a two-match series against Bangladesh starting September 19. Pant was a key player in Team India's 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup victory, contributing 171 runs throughout the tournament.