The Assam government has decided to appoint star sprinter Hima Das as Deputy Superintendent of Police.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal chaired a meeting of his cabinet on Wednesday night where the decision was taken to appoint World Championship sprinter Hima Das as a Deputy Superintendent of Police in the state.
The cabinet also decided to amend the integrated sports policy of the state by appointing sportspersons as Class-I and Class-II officers in different departments of the state, such as Police, Excise, Transport etc, government spokesman and Industry Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary told reporters.
It was decided that Das will be appointed as a DSP rank officer in the Assam police and medal winners in Olympics, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games will be appointed as Class- I officers.
Hima took to Twitter to thank Assam Chief Minister and former Union Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal for the job. Her tweet read,
"I thank our Hon'ble Chief Minister @sarbanandsonwal sir @himantabiswa sir for my appointment as Deputy SP with @assampolice The decision is a huge motivation for me. I look forward to be of service to my state and my nation. Jai Hind!".
Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju lauded the Assam government for the decision.
"Well done! Assam Cabinet, headed by CM @sarbanandsonwal Ji has decided to offer the post of DSP in Assam Police to sprinter queen @HimaDas8!," Rijiju tweeted.
Well done! Assam Cabinet, headed by CM @sarbanandsonwal Ji has decided to offer the post of DSP in Assam Police to sprinter queen @HimaDas8 ! pic.twitter.com/kfkFcYj4KE
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) February 10, 2021
The 21-year-old from Assam, nicknamed 'Dhing Express' in a reference to the town near her native village, is currently training at the NIS-Patiala and will aim to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics 2021 as the athletics calendar starts in a few days.
She was the first Indian woman and also the first-ever Indian athlete to win a gold medal in any format of a global track event at the IAAF World U20 Championships, when she clocked a speed of 51.46 seconds. Hima had clinched five gold medals in 2019.
The sports minister, however, made it clear that Hima will continue to run for the country despite her appointment as DSP.
"Many people are asking, what about Hima's sports career? She is training for Olympic qualification at NIS Patiala & will keep running for India," Rijiju said in another tweet. "Our elite Athletes are employed in various jobs yet continue to play. Even after retirement, they'll be engaged in promoting sports."
(Edited by Kanishk Singh)
