Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday said a former hockey player, Paramjeet, who currently works as a labourer, will be given a job by his government as a coach in the sports department.
Mann tweeted the video of the meeting with Paramjeet, 30, where he said he works as a ‘palledar’, a labour work includes loading and unloading rice and wheat sacks from trucks, at the Faridkot mandi. During his interaction, the chief minister said that Paramjeet will be recruited as a hockey coach in the sports department, and soon formalities in this regard will be completed.
"You will have a fantastic working environment," Mann said, adding, "We have to make Punjab and the country No. 1 in sports... Hockey is our traditional game, and Punjab is known as hockey nursery".
On being questioned whether the prior government took note of his plight, the ex-hockey player said, "No, did not get any response."
Paramjeet also said to Mann that he wants to make his son a hockey player, but that it seems difficult given his family's financial situation.
Earlier, he was a part of the Sports Authority of India and the Punjab squad, where he won medals in various hockey tournaments, Paramjeet said.
However, he had an injury to his left hand a few years ago that kept him out of the game for a long period and affected his hockey career. He started working as a "palledar" a few years ago as a result of his injury.