Bajrang, Sakshi meet sports minister, request him to debar Sanjay Singh from contesting WFI polls
New Delhi, Dec 11: Oylmpic medal winning grapplers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, on Monday, met Sports Minister Anurag Thakur to once again request him to stop anyone related to former Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh from contesting the upcoming polls of the national body.
The much-awaited WFI elections are scheduled to be held on December 21 during its General Body Meeting and the results will be declared on the same day itself.
Bajrang and Sakshi are among the wrestlers, who spearheaded the protest against Brij Bhushan for two months, on allegations of multiple charges of sexual harassment against the BJP MP from Kaiserganj, Uttrar Pradesh.
As per Tokyo Games bronze medallist Bajrang, they withdrew their protest after the government assured that no one related to Brij Bhushan will contest the polls.
Two candidates -- Brij Bhushan-loyalist Sanjay Singh and 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Anita Sheoran are in the running for the WFI president's post.
"Yes, we met with the sports minister today and reminded him of his promise that no one related to Brij Bhushan should contest the WFI elections," Bajrang told PTI.
"Sanjay Singh is his close associate and he should withdraw from the election race or otherwise we will decide our future course of action soon. We told that to that minister," said Bajrang.
Bajrang also stated that they have no issues with Sheoran as she is a former wrestler and is very well aware about the plight of the athletes.
"We want some former wrestler to take the charge of WFI, who at least knows what it takes to win medals for the country. Anita ji (Sheoren) is a Commonwealth Games medallist and understands the demands of wrestlers," he said.
Anita, who is in the running to become the first woman president of the WFI, is also reportedly a witness in the sexual harassment cases levied against Brij Bhushan.
Brij Bhushan is facing multiple charges of sexual harassment and is currently out on bail. He is not eligible to contest in the WFI elections as has completed 12 years as an office-bearer, which is the maximum term allowed as per the National Sports Code.
He also assured that no one from his family would contest the polls.
Accordingly, Brij Bhushan, who is the president of the Uttar Pradesh wrestling body, and his son Karan, who is a vice president in the same state body, will not compete in the elections.
Brij Bhushan's son-in-law Vishal Singh, president of the Bihar Wrestling Federation, is also not contesting the elections.
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Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurates Gems and Jewellery Institute campus in Udupi
Udupi (Karnataka) (PTI): Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday inaugurated the premises of the Indian Institute of Gems and Jewellery here, praising the centre for providing professional training and promoting entrepreneurship among youth.
Speaking at the event, Sitharaman said the centre, established in 2016 with support from the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council and the district administration, has grown steadily despite disruptions during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We started in a very small place, unsure of the response. Today, advanced facilities including CAD and 3D printing are available, enabling students to gain industry-relevant skills,” she said.
Sitharaman highlighted the centre’s reach across Karnataka and beyond.
“Students have come from Karwar, Chitradurga, Raichur, and Tamil Nadu. Some had no prior experience but are now running successful jewellery businesses,” she said, citing examples of trainees who returned to their hometowns to start enterprises.
Emphasising affordability, she noted, “Training abroad is expensive, but here the Indian Institute of Gems and Jewellery offers professional courses at accessible costs, making skill development widely available.”
The minister also underlined the centre’s contribution to India’s jewellery export sector.
“This region, from Ratnagiri to Kerala, has a rich jewellery tradition serving the Indian diaspora. Skilled manpower from such centres strengthens our exports and creates livelihood opportunities,” she said.
Sitharaman commended the collaboration between the government, GJEPC, and local jewellers, noting that around 600 students were trained last year.
She urged greater awareness to attract more youth to the institute, describing it as a model public-private partnership that fosters entrepreneurship and skill development.
The minister also witnessed the signing of an MoU between the Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery and IIT Madras under the InCent LGD platform for a specialised, industry-oriented certification programme in lab-grown diamond technologies.
The office of the minister said in a post on X that the programme will help bridge critical skill gaps, create job-ready professionals, boost value-added manufacturing, and strengthen India’s position in the global LGD (lab-grown diamond) value chain, aligned with Make in India, Skill India, and the goal of a self-reliant, globally competitive LGD ecosystem.
It further said that the Rs 242 crore grant announced in the Union Budget 2023–24 for lab-grown diamond research at IIT Madras is helping build a world-class ecosystem.
Under the InCent initiative, India’s first indigenously designed scaled prototype of a High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) LGD machine has been developed and installed at IIT Madras, while imported commercial HPHT machines have also been installed for benchmarking.
Sitharaman also witnessed a demonstration of the ‘Design to Manufacturing’ process by students at IIGJ Udupi and interacted with trainees of the institute and entrepreneurs from the gems and jewellery industry, the minister’s office said in another post.
