2004 Paralympic Games bronze medalist Rajinder Singh Rahelu was today offered a coaching job at the NIS Patiala by the Sports Authority of India under the recently amended recruitment rules.
42-year-old Rahelu, who also won a silver in powerlifting in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, has accepted the job which is equivalent to a Group A post, the SAI said in a release.
"Considering his achievements and the willpower to overcome hurdles in life and that his presence will immensely motivate other budding para-athletes, Sports Authority of India offered him the post of Coach in SAI at NIS Patiala, as per recently amended recruitment rules," the release said.
"Coach in SAI is equivalent to Group 'A' post with pay scale of Rs. 15,600-39,100 and Rs.5400/- as Grade Pay. He is presently employed with Punjab Sports Department in a Group 'C' post. Rahelu has decided to join SAI by the end of August 2015," it said.
Rahelu, born on July 22, 1973 in Jalandhar district in Punjab, hails from a family with limited means. Despite suffering from infantile paralysis due to polio in which he lost his legs, he never gave up and continued to strive for excellence throughout his life.
After finishing higher secondary education, Rahelu chose to pursue powerlifting as a game following encouragement from his friends. After winning numerous medals at the national and international championships, Rahelu competed in the 56kg category at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens and won the first ever medal for India in the event in the Paralympics.
He was bestowed with Arjuna Award in 2006.
