Dutee Chand got Rs 4 crore in financial support since 2015: Odisha govt
BHUBANESWAR: Since 2015, sprinter Dutee Chand has received financial assistance to the tune of Rs 4.09 crore from the state government, the sports and youth services department said in a statement issued on Thursday. It also stated that the athlete has been provided Rs 50 lakh in two instalments (August 2 and December 27, 2019) to support her training for Tokyo Olympics besides the prize money of Rs 3 crore for her two silver medals at the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018.
Between 2015-19, the state government has also provided Rs 30 lakh to the athlete to support her training for various international events, the statement added. The government appointed Dutee as Group-A level officer in Odisha Mining Corporation. “She is currently drawing a gross salary of Rs 84,604 (June 2020 salary) per month. She is not required to come to office so that she is able to concentrate full-time on training. Accordingly, since her appointment in OMC, no official work has been allotted to her,” said the statement.
Her employer OMC has also provided her financial assistance of Rs 29 lakh to support her training. Dutee has also been receiving support from the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and Union ministry of youth affairs and sports based on her performance.
The statement from the state sports department comes a week after the sprinter had, in a Facebook post, offered to sell her SUV to meet her training expenses.