Bhopal:
They rejected Rs 50,000 each yesterday. Now, the Indian hockey team will get Rs 1 crore for dues and incentives, courtesy the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).
Vinay Rai, the Assocham, has also given Rs 10 lakh in his personal capacity. Assocham gave the money to the sports ministry, which made the announcement on Friday.
Speaking to NDTV, the women hockey players said that they were delighted by the Sports Ministry's decision. They confirmed that the ministry had agreed to pay the team Rs 1 crore.
Unlike their men counterparts last week, the women's team was protesting against non-payment of dues by wearing black arm bands rather than refusing to play.
But they were adamant that they would not accept token amounts and rejected an offer of Rs 50,000 each from Hockey India, the interim body governing the game. Instead, the players opened a bank account and asked hockey-lovers to contribute to the cause.
The players had sought to meet Indian Olympic Association president, Suresh Kalmadi, to discuss the dilemma they were facing due to a lack of funds. Early on Friday, Kalmadi said that he had collected Rs 1 crore for the team.
The plight of the hockey team moved reel-life coach and Chak De star Shah Rukh Khan to tweet: "Thought Chak De will be good for revival of hockey. Reading the plight of women's team, should think on ways of survival of hockey. All of us."