This story is from April 19, 2018

Tribal associations allege AP government discriminated CWG medal winner Venkat Rahul Ragala

Tribal associations allege AP government discriminated CWG medal winner Venkat Rahul Ragala
Venkat Rahul Ragala.
Tribal and Dalit associations in Andhra Pradesh (AP) have sharply criticised the state government for their alleged discrimination in announcing rewards to Venkat Rahul Ragala, who won gold medal for India in the 85kg category in the Commonwealth Games (CWG) at Gold Coast, Australia recently.
Rahul hails from a poor tribal community in Stuvertpuram in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh.
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All India Erukala Association General Secretary Pandu told TOI ,"Government is belittling Rahul's victory. Rahul won medals twice for the country. AP government gave Rs 30 lakh as a reward and this is just an insult to him. While PV Sindhu was given Rs 3 crore by AP government and a plot in Amaravati and as well as group 1 job in the government, Rahul has been given just a paltry reward.”
He added,"As Rahul belongs to a tribal community he has been discriminated." He demanded the government to give benefits and reward to Rahul on par with PV Sindhu.
Earlier Rahul's father Ragala Madhu criticised the government for not announcing any reward. He then said, “Had it been someone from the upper caste, the government would have showered rewards upon him.”
State government had earlier announced Rs 15 lakh and two acres of agricultural land for anyone who wins a medal in the CWG games. Two acres of land is yet to be given to the family despite a promise.
Madhu said,"We had to spend a lot of money in training my two sons who won medals in various national and international events.”
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About the Author
U Sudhakar Reddy

Sudhakar Reddy Udumula is the Editor (Investigation) at the Times of India, Hyderabad. Following the trail of migration and drought across the rustic landscape of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Sudhakar reported extensively on government apathy, divisive politics, systemic gender discrimination, agrarian crisis and the will to survive great odds. His curiosity for peeking behind the curtain triumphed over the criminal agenda of many scamsters in the highest political and corporate circles, making way for breaking stories such as Panama Papers Scam, Telgi Stamp Paper Scam, and many others. His versatility in reporting extended to red corridors of left-wing extremism where the lives of security forces and the locals in Maoist-affected areas were key points of investigation. His knack for detail provided crucial evidence of involvement from overseas in terrorist bombings in Hyderabad.

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