State govt seeks EC nod to award cash prize to athlete Gomathi

According to the sources in the Secretariat, state government had sought exception from the EC to disburse the cash prize to Gomathi and once approval is given by the EC, the government will proceed with it.

Since the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is in place, no new orders or schemes can be announced by the government. Recently, Gomathi bagged gold medal and the state government appreciated her but could not announce cash prize due to election restrictions.

In the meantime, various political parties have distributed cash awards for Gomathi and there were questions on whether government is taking any step forward to reward her.

Confirming the progress, Dheeraj Kumar, Secretary, Sports Department, told DT Next, “We have written a letter to Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and are awaiting a reply at the earliest. Even today, I contacted the CEO and asked him to give approval to disburse cash award to Gomathi.”

He also said that if approval is given, Gomathi will be given Rs 10 lakh according to government rules. However, she will receive the cash price after the Model Code is withdrawn, said Dheeraj Kumar.

.Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar, said that the AIADMK government has revived sports department in the state and had been constantly encouraging sports persons but as the poll code is in place the government could not disburse the cash. “However, we have taken steps to award cash price for Gomathi at the earliest,” said Jayakumar. 

Earlier, on Tuesday, AIADMK convenor O Panneerselvam and joint convenor Edappadi K Palaniswami, distributed a cash reward of Rs 15 lakh to Gomathi Marimuthu, at the camp house of Palaniswami, on Greenways Road.

After receiving the reward, Gomathi thanked AIADMK convenors and said that she had already received cash prize from the late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on an earlier occasion.