It is heartening to see that India's lone Olympic medal winner Karnam Malleswari has not only been awarded a bonanza of Rs.60 lakhs by the Andhra Pradesh (AP) Government but has also agreed to support her to set up an academy to train and produce more women weightlifters like her.

The reason for India's dismal performance in sports is mainly due to the fact that no other game is given the due recognition and importance it deserves apart from cricket. Even in the past, whenever players of other sports have given an exceptional performance, the government has promised much but unfortunately all their assurances have failed to see the light. This attitude kills the desire of the players to perform better and achieve something for their country.

But, Chandrababu Naidu has been an altogether different Chief Minister for AP. It is due to Naidu's efforts that AP has become a state to reckon with in the field of information technology so much so that other states are taking a cue from it's phenomenal progress and development in this department.

Similarly, we hope that Naidu would also take keen interest in the sports arena of his state and make unfeigned efforts to produce many more outstanding players like Malleshwari which would set a good precedent for other states to follow in his footsteps that may open up a new chapter in Indian sports.