Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Oct 17: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today formally felicitated Chain Singh, the winner of 2014 Asian Games Bronze Medal in Men’s 50 meter Rifle Shooting event at Incheon, South Korea earlier this month.
Presenting a memento in the form of shield and bouquet in acknowledgement of the young shooter’s achievement, Dr Jitendra Singh said, it gives him three-fold joy and pride in felicitating Chain Singh. First, he explained, Chain Singh has done pride to the Indian nation, second he has brought laurels to the State of Jammu & Kashmir and third, he hails from one of the remotest areas of Bhalessa in district Doda which falls in the Lok Sabha constituency represented by him.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, it is an extraordinary achievement that without receiving any formal training or coaching and without any patronage from higher quarters, Chain Singh has emerged as a World Class Shooter by receiving a gold medal in the Asian Shooting competition earlier and now a bronze medal in 2014 Asian Games. It is such talented young players, he said, who deserve special attention and encouragement, particularly in a State like Jammu & Kashmir where large number of youth are going astray due to unemployment and militancy.
Dr Jitendra Singh assured Chain Singh that he will offer all possible help from his side to groom his talent and also to bring up a shooting practice zone in his native village in Bhalessa.
Earlier, Chain Singh, while speaking to the media, had all praise for Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, who, he said, was the first and the only leader from political establishment to have come forward and encouraged him. He lamented that even though, soon after winning the medal, he went to his home State of Jammu & Kashmir and stayed there for about a week, nobody from the State Government or political leadership had made any effort to establish any contact with him or offer any support to him.
Chain Singh said that he seriously wanted to prepare for the Olympics for which he looked forward to patronage from visionary leaders like Dr Jitendra Singh.