Rathore assures help for ‘jobless’ India goalie Savita

New Delhi, November 9
India goalkeeper Savita Punia has received many accolades for her on-field heroics but she could not secure a job despite all the success in a nine-year international career. However, there is good news for Savita as Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore today assured the 27-year-old of all the support she needs.
“Have asked my team to obtain details on our #AsiaCup2017 star, Savita Punia. Will ensure she receives all the support possible from Govt. Our motto: #SuvidhaAurSamman,” Rathore wrote on his Twitter account.
Savita played a crucial role in India’s title triumph in the Asia Cup, pulling off two saves in a tense shootout in the final against China.
“I am very happy that I could contribute in the team’s win. I will work harder to bring more laurels and will not let my unemployment affect my game,” Savita said. “I have been trying to get a job for nine years. I was promised a job under the Haryana government’s ‘Medal Lao, Naukri Pao’ scheme, but I have only been given assurances by officials. I am 27 now and still depend on my father’s income. I am playing for my country for the last nine years and every time after a win, I hope to get a job but nothing changes.”
Savita, who hails from Hisar, made her international debut in 2008 and completed 150 caps in the Asia Cup.
“I should take care of my parents but it is the opposite in my case. My father is a pharmacist and it is not easy to run a family with his income alone,” said Savita.
She had also applied for a coaching job with the Sports Authority of India after the Rio Olympics but did not get any response. “I get very tense when I see my parents. My mother is worried that I don’t have a job. My father encourages me to do well and I never let my game get affected by my unemployment. But it is constantly on my mind when I am out of the ground,” she said.