Just finished reading Big B’s blog today. At the end of his blog he has quoted an SMS he received from somewhere. I am quoting the same below:

“An ace shooter wins Gold and Government gives him 1+ crore.

Another ace shooter dies fighting terrorists and Government pays him 5 lakhs.

Guess the real winner !!”

It is indeed a thought provoking statement. Death of M C Sharma is still very fresh in everyone’s mind. It is natural to feel sad reading this comparison. But the originator of this statement is only stating half truth. Rs. 5 Lakh was announced by the government of M.P. Uttaranchal Govt. has also announced a compensation of Rs. 5 Lakh, if I remember correctly. I am not sure if the Delhi government has announced any compensation. Rs. 10 Lakh was announced by the Samajwadi Party while J.P. Group has annouced 11 Lakh. The announcement by SP was really surprising because they are known SIMI sympathisers. It is election time and all political parties are trying to play their cards right.

Coming back to the issue, it is really difficult to make a comparison like this. However, the huge importance of a Gold Medal in the Olympics can not be denied. We also must not forget that there are many soldiers and policemen who are dieing every day on duty and it won’t be fair on the part of the government to give a preferential treatment.

No amount of compensation can bring back a brave soldier or a cop but the least the government can do is to ensure that their families are given adequate support.