Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju sanctions medical support for Novy Kapadia

The veteran commentator and analyst has been suffering from a rare autoimmune disease.

The Minister of Youth and State affairs, Mr Kiren Rijiju sanctioned medical support of Rs. 4 lakh on Monday to eminent football and sports expert Mr Novy Kapadia who has been suffering from illness for quite some time now.

Taking to Twitter, Rijiju wrote, "Handed over Rs 4 lakh to eminent football expert Novy Kapadia ji for his medical needs."

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"Following up with MHRD for his pension. The provisions of DUW Fund have been tweaked to benefit more people. Narendra Modi Ji's Govt is committed to assist those who have served Indian sports," he added.

Novy Kapadia, 67, has not been at his best off late as he is unable to move around his house without assistance. He is suffering from a motor neuron disease which leads to a gradual loss of function from the spine and the brain.

He was worried as he was not able to avail his pension from Delhi University after retiring as a professor two years ago. Kapadia is an eminent personality in Indian sports. He has also tried his hand in commentary and covered as many as nine FIFA World Cups. He is known for his vast technical knowledge about various sports which has made him one of the finest experts in the country.

Speaking about the one-time financial assistance provided by the government, Rijiju said, " Novy Kapadia has contributed to Indian sports for decades. When I got to know that his pension from Delhi University was pending and he is suffering from a rare autoimmune disease and needs immediate medical treatment, we decided to give him immediate relief with his money. We are also following up with the Ministry of Human Resource Development to ensure that his pension comes through soon."

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"The earlier guidelines of the fund to provide financial assistance were restrictive. We have now made amendments so that that assistance can be extended to more people who have served in the area of sport. Mr Kapadia is one of the first beneficiaries of these new guidelines," the Sports Minister added.

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