State to give Rs 5L each to 3 cricketers & coach
KOLKATA/SILIGURI: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who chaired the Cabinet meeting on Monday, announced that Rs 5 lakh each will be handed over to the three cricketers and the bowling coach from Bengal, representing the U-19 Indian women cricket team which won the World Cup.
Richa Ghosh, Titas Sadhu, Hrishita Basu and bowling coach Rajib Dutta will also be felicitated on their return to the state. Banerjee congratulated India’s Under-19 Women’s Cricket Team. “What a stellar victory in the inaugural Under 19 Women’s T20 World Cup! This is only the beginning, I am certain the daughters of India will scale greater heights in the days ahead,” she tweeted.
Richa Ghosh, the wicketkeeper-cum-batter, hails from Siliguri. Along with Richa’s family, the whole town has switched onto celebration mode commemorating the exhilarating performance of the 17-year-old.
On Monday, Mayor Gautam Deb visited the Ghosh household located at Hatimore in Siliguri. He handed over a flower bouquet to her mother Swapna Ghosh. The mayor plans to give Richa a civic reception when she returns. A similar reception will also be accorded to Wriddhiman Saha, who plays in the Indian national team.
“We definitely need to improve sports infrastructure in Siliguri. There are very few fields for practice. The Siliguri Municipal Corporation is planning to construct a state of the art field for such activities soon,” stated the Mayor.
Richa's mother Swapna Ghosh stated that Richa has been playing cricket from the age of four at the Baghajatin Athletic Club in Siliguri. “She has always been interested in cricket. Gopal Saha was her first coach. She played a district match for the first time when she was 12-year-old. She was the highest scorer then and had even won the match. Slowly, she got a chance in the Bengal Team. Later, she was selected for the Indian women’s cricket team. She got all the support from us and from her school. Her father guided her. We tried to provide her with the best. I am proud that today my daughter and her teammates have brought the World Cup home," added Swapna, brimming with pride.
