Jobless Paralympian Kapil Parmar decides to surrender Arjuna award

Bhopal: Kapil Parmar, who brought laurels to India in the France Paralympics last year, has decided to return his Arjuna Award, accusing the state govt of not providing him with a job. Parmar, a para-judo player, had clinched bronze medal in France, and scripted history by winning India's first paralympic medal in judo. On Tuesday, Parmar claimed that he was promised a job by the state govt. MP sports department said that his job request is under process and will be given following due diligence. Apart from Parmar, country's leading water sports athlete, Prachi Yadav, has also accused the govt of not offering her a job, though she has not yet decided to return her Arjuna Award. Prachi is a para-canoe athlete who participated in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics and won bronze medal in the 2022 Paralympic World Cup in Beijing. Both the players received Arjuna award in 2024. Parmar secured the bronze medal at 2024 Paralympics, making history by winning India's first Paralympic medal in judo. He also won gold at the 2019 Commonwealth Championships, gold at the 2023 Grand Prix, bronze at the 2023 World Games, and silver at the 2022 Asian Para Games.