September 5: The government has time and again pledged to award cricketers with prize money but is yet to keep its promises. At a time when Nepal's national cricket team was contesting against India in the Asia Cup on Monday, the issue of the players not getting the previously announced awards heated up in the House of Representatives.
The MPs, during the lower house meeting on Monday, demanded that the award announced to be given to cricket players should be released immediately.
Rastriya Prajatantra Party MP Gyanendra Shahi requested Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to release the amount that the government had promised to reward the cricketers with.
The government announced that the players of the Nepali national cricket team would be awarded with Rs 300,000 each during the ICC world Cricket League 2 series. In addition to that, the government had also announced Rs 300,000 for playing against the UAE and PNG in the UAE, Rs 300,000 for winning the series against the UAE and PNG, Rs 200,000 announced by the Prime Minister and Rs 600,000 for winning the ACC Premier Cup.
“While Indian captain Rohit Sharma earns Rs 270 million in 1 year, Nepali captain Rohit Poudel's salary is not more than Rs 720,000. Why is the money given to cricket players stopped? Release this money as soon as possible. If not, don't show hollow nationalism," MP Shahi said. He also expressed anger saying who defaulted the declared money.
During the lower house meeting, Hari Dhakal, MP of Rastriya Swatantra Party, demanded the government to give the prize money to the cricket players within one week. Speaking at the meeting of the House of Representatives, he questioned the government as to why the money that was supposed to be given to the players was put on hold.
He vented his ire saying, "While we failed to build a stadium in all these decade, look at the palace built that the government for the chief ministers for their visit to Kathmandu.”
He commented that if you look at the monthly salary of Nepali cricket players, you will be ashamed.
