Kolkata, Jun 22 (IANS): Indian Cricketers Association (ICA) has extended financial assistance to four more former Bengal players amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
ICA has declared the new batch for three women beneficiaries from Bengal that includes Sumita Mukhopadhaya (Rs. 80,000), Ila Das (Rs. 60,000) and Iti Dutta (Rs. 60,000) and one former men's player from Bengal Nandu Chandvarker received Rs. 80,000.
Ila thanked ICA and CAB by saying: "I am thankful to both for giving me the support at this difficult time. I live with my ill mother. With the coaching camps being closed for this pandemic I am out of work since then. I can't say enough how thankful I am."
"CAB President Avishek has stood by me from the beginning of the lockdown and now ICA extended their support too. This is so far one of the best things cricket has given me," she added.
ICA has previously helped five former Bengal cricketers amid this pandemic. It has raised Rs 78 lakh in their initiative to help needy cricketers amid the health crisis.
Among those that the ICA has managed to help is blind cricketer Shekhar Naik, who was awarded the Padma Shri in 2017.
Naik, who skippered India to victories at the T20 Blind Cricket World Cup in 2012 and Blind Cricket World Cup in 2014, will get Rs 1 lakh as he has been slotted in category A, the association's President Ashok Malhotra had told IANS earlier.
Malhotra added that three widows of former players are also in the list of 24 beneficiaries who have been added to the list which was initially kept at 25-30 former players, who are struggling for funds amid the ongoing crisis.
The cricketers who don't withdraw pension from the BCCI or their respective state associations or don't have jobs have benefited from this initiative.
Around 1,500 members are registered with the ICA which is India's first-ever players' association and was formed last year.
For those unaware, the ICA isn't affiliated to the Federation of International Cricketers' Association (FICA) and only retired Indian cricketers are a part of the ICA.