Bhubaneswar: Disability rights activist Jitendra Biswal has urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to bear the expenses of the para-athletes who are to participate in the 20th National Para-Athletics Championships-2021 that is to be held in Bhubaneswar from March 28 to 31.
The request came after the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), in a circular issued on March 3, stated that the participants are to bear their own expenses like traveling, lodging & boarding, local conveyance, etc for attending the event hosted by the Para Sports Association of Odisha.
Biswal claimed that is not only rather insensitive & unjustified but also quite criminal.
“Since the Championship is happening in our state of Odisha which has been a great facilitator & promoter of all kinds of sports and Govt of Odisha itself is a partner in it, I appeal to the CM Naveen to step in & do the needful so that our para-athletes can come & take part in the event without hassles,” he said.
“Paralympic Committee of India & State of Odisha cannot just take credit for holding such a mega event without discharging their basic duty of providing bare minimum facilities to the PwD participants,” he added.
