Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has announced Rs. 1 crore for ace tennis player from Telangana / Hyderabad, Sania Mirza to promote her in the international tennis arena. Sania Mirza has also been appointed as official brand ambassador of Telangana State to promote brand Telangana at the national and international level.
There would’t be any issues with respect to announcing Sania Mirza as brand ambassador of the newly formed state of Telangana. But announcing Rs. 1 crore from public money to the player may attract some criticism from the analysts. The money is proposed to meant for coaching and tournament expenses of Sania Mirza to attend US Open tournament. Does she really need financial help from Government?
Sania Mirza is already an international player and recently got her career best 5th rank in international doubles tournaments. She has endorsed several top rung multinational brands and should have earned crores of rupees. It is also believed that she has acquired valuable properties in and around Hyderabad.
The Telangana government could get more appreciation if the money has been allocated for the encouragement of sports at the village level. There is need for sports stadiums at the rural and semi urban levels to facilitate the players in those areas.