Ritu Negi dropped from Himachal Pradesh Rs 1 crore Asian Games reward list

Former India kabaddi captain Ritu Negi has been excluded from Himachal Pradesh’s Rs 1 crore cash reward list for Asian Games gold medallists, sparking a row over whether married female athletes are being disowned by their home states. The Arjuna Awardee, who recently helped India defend their kabaddi title with a 37-34 win over Iran at the Aichi-Nagoya Games in Japan, was originally expected to receive the prize alongside three of her teammates. However, when the state government officially announced that the reward for the players was being increased from Rs 33 lakh to Rs 1 crore, Negi’s name was missing from the final release.The decision has left the veteran player, who hails from the Shillai region of Sirmaur district but is married in Panipat, Haryana, deeply hurt. "Until a week ago, I was a daughter of Himachal," Negi told the media, noting that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had shared a congratulatory message on Facebook, while former Chief Minister Jairam Thakur and MP Anurag Thakur had called her directly. "I simply cannot understand what changed so suddenly."<h2>Why was Ritu Negi dropped?</h2>The state government has not publicly given a definitive reason for removing Negi’s name, but her family suspects her marital status is behind the decision. Her father, Bhavan Singh Negi, speaking from Shillai, questioned whether a daughter ceases to belong to her home state after she gets married elsewhere. He pointed out that his daughter received her cash reward from the Himachal Pradesh government after captaining the team to gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games, despite already being married and living in Haryana at the time.For Negi, the exclusion is especially frustrating because she has consistently chosen to represent Himachal Pradesh in domestic tournaments, even though she is employed by Indian Railways and resides in Haryana. State government sources indicated that officials are monitoring the Haryana government's position on the matter. They suggested that Himachal Pradesh might make a decision later, depending on whether Haryana announces its own cash award for Negi due to her marital ties to the state.<h2>How did the cash reward dispute start?</h2>The controversy began when the state's other gold-winning kabaddi players—Pushpa Rana, Jyoti Thakur, and Bhawna Thakur—met with Chief Minister Sukhu to protest against an initial offer of Rs 33 lakh each. They argued that the figure was below what they were entitled to under the state's official sports policy. Pushpa Rana told news agency IANS that the players were deeply disappointed by the original announcement. Following their meeting, the Chief Minister agreed to increase their reward to Rs 1 crore each and offered them state government jobs. But while their terms were upgraded, Negi was left out of the final list.<h2>What happens next for the kabaddi star?</h2>Himachal Pradesh Sports Minister Yadvinder Goma said he was unaware of why Negi’s name was removed. He promised to examine the files and discuss the matter with the Chief Minister. Negi, who is the only Indian woman kabaddi player to represent the country at three consecutive Asian Games—winning gold twice and a silver once—now plans to meet the Chief Minister directly to seek clarity. She said the decision has left her feeling discarded by the state she has spent her career representing.