Shreyasi Singh

The state government has finally got over its share of controversies over fixing a date to felicitate shooter Shreyasi Singh.

She would be felicitated on December 17 with a cash reward of Rs 11 lakh for winning a medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games for the country. The development came 82 days after the state government had formally announced the reward for the 22-year-old shooter.

Shreyasi is the daughter of late Union minister Digvijay Singh, while her mother, Putul Singh, had represented Banka parliamentary seat once.

A message sent by Shreyasi to The Telegraph read: “The Bihar state programme for the Commonwealth Games award is on the 17th at 6pm. I will be attending it.”

“The felicitation programme will be held at the chief minister’s secretariat. She will be given the cash reward by the chief minister at a function in the presence of other officials,” said Arvind Thakur, the director (student and youth welfare) in the art, culture and youth department.

Department minister Vinay Bihari had earlier said Shreyasi would be felicitated sometime in December.

“The department had to face embarrassment on this issue with minister Bihari issuing conflicting statements,” said a department official.

The confusion had begun a day after Shreyasi won the medal. The state government had expressed its desire to felicitate her. Minister Bihari, however, began giving excuses every time he was asked about the date for the felicitation.

He first said he was too busy with the bypolls and then said he couldn’t contact Shreyasi, as he didn’t have her contact number. These comments came in early August and at a time when Shreyasi was present in Patna and was being felicitated by private organisations.

Rain lashed Patna on August 13 and 14 and minister Bihari stirred a controversy when he said he couldn’t get out of his home and meet the chief minister on the issue because of rain.

Later, an official of Bihari’s department said it had been decided that Shreyasi would be felicitated on August 29 during the Khel Samman ceremony. However, the shooter had told The Telegraph she would be abroad in Italy, training for the Shooting World Cup then.

Again, in November, Bihari had claimed that he was unable to contact the shooter though Shreyasi visited Patna for three days.